Devil's Fire
by Ziltoid
Summary: Whether one man lives or dies can make quite the difference. As a consequence, Konoha suffered far greater losses during the invasion, and Naruto ended in a dark dungeon where he has to stay until his captors find another way to make him bow…
1. Solitude

_The obligatory disclaimer thingy I have to notify you of is, and I know that this must be a shocking surprise to all those who read fanfiction:_ **I do not own Naruto**.

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 **Devil's Fire**

 **Solitude**

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" _Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle."_

― Plato

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The darkness made it impossible to say whether it was day or night. It could be either, he guessed. The perpetual darkness caused time to pass as a blur, leaving the one locked in the deepest level of the dungeon with little else than his thoughts. The only time he had any sort of distraction was when his meal arrived- stale bread and some goo that had to pass for food, and some lukewarm water. There were the occasional visits, of course, but those had dwindled down as well.

How long had it been?

He guessed it had been weeks since he had last seen anyone. At first he had been interrogated on a daily basis, including the futile attempts to subjugate him through illusions and other methods of brainwashing. At the time it had been incredibly annoying, some even more than just that, but the absolute loneliness he had to suffer now was perhaps even worse. If he had to choose he'd probably pick the daily visits from their version of Torture and Interrogation specialists. It's not like they were as bad as Ibiki, after all.

' _Hm, I'd have to exclude the physical torture, though,'_ he mused lethargically, staring at the dark ceiling of his prison cell. ' _Especially with all these freaking seals. While they suck at fuinjutsu, they still do manage to suppress quite a lot. Recovering from torture takes far too long. And I don't even want to think about that wretched woman.'_

Still, even torture had been something he had eventually gotten used to, as far as anyone could get used to having holes drilled through your hands, nails torn out, skin peeled off, and so on. People could get strangely creative when they were ordered to inflict pain. But no matter how harshly they treated him, he had never broken. Of course it did help that they did not dare to take things too far, due to the simple reason that they feared the consequences of pushing him over the edge. They wanted to shape him into a loyal tool, not a raging demon that would attack indiscriminately.

Extraction had also proven to be a fruitless effort. Their knowledge of fuinjutsu was nowhere close to what was needed to extract what they wanted. So they had simply locked him up. While they could not gain control over the Kyuubi no Yoko, they at least ensured that Konoha would not get that power either, they had reasoned.

' _Konoha…'_

Vague memories of orange and the heavenly food called ramen came to mind, as well as impressions of people he had once called friends. But all that was drowned by a bitterness that made this isolation even more unbearable. The thought of his classmates, the people of Team Seven, his teachers, the old man Hokage, Ichiraku's…

' _Why has no one ever even tried to find me? It's been years. You'd think they would have managed to locate me by now,'_ Uzumaki Naruto spat on the ground, as if he tried to get the sour taste out of his mouth.

Right after the act he regretted it. In the dry and chilly environment he only got just enough water to survive. Just as he only got minimal amounts of food. Enough to keep him alive, but only in amounts that ensured that he was constantly weakened.

' _Tsk, I'd almost say that it would be better if they just finished it already. But if I died the Kyuubi would reform, and they know they don't have the ability to seal him if he gets out.'_

In his first years of life, back in Konoha, they had tried so hard to deny him his existence. Not that they aimed for his life, or anything like that- though a darker corner of his mind told him that some of his 'accidents' had not truly been accidents. No, the villagers and shinobi had simply ignored him whenever possible, and gave him a cold shoulder whenever he tried to interact. And as the parents hated his gut, so did the children, even if his own generation didn't even know why he had been hated in the first place. Ironically, now he was isolated for the very same reason.

' _Only this prison is tangible, in contrast to how I lived back then,'_ Naruto sighed. His ears twitched when he heard footsteps nearing the door of his prison cell. ' _I've just had food, what could it be this time? A rookie at the T &I who thinks he can be the first to crack me?'_

A key entered the lock, and with the dry sounds of creaking wood the door opened. Not that he could see who did it, being blinded by the torch which was held by his visitor.

"Ah, I'm sorry," a female voice, one that sounded quite familiar to Naruto, sounded. She put the torch in a holder on the wall, then stepping further into his prison. He heard her drag the chair towards his bed, and sighed.

"Get out…"

"No can do," she said bluntly. "And considering how you're not going anywhere either, I'm just going to stay here."

"Ha ha, very funny," Naruto scowled. "Why are you here, Temari? More empty promises? New attempts to give me false hope? I guess you guys must think I've grown desperate enough to believe them this time."

"I… they weren't, Naruto," Temari actually looked saddened. The cynical part of Naruto told him that her acting had improved, while the remnants of his naïve self wondered what she was sad about. Alas, idealism only went so far, and years of imprisonment had corroded it to nigh non-existence.

"Sure they were, I'm still stuck in this shithole," he chuckled mirthlessly. "So fuck off. I'm not in the mood."

"You've become quite rude."

"Imprisonment tends to make your social skills quite rusty. You should try it. Just stay in this room for two years, with some occasional torture, and you'll be just as cheerful as I am," his sarcasm almost seemed to literally slap her in the face, as he saw her cringe.

"It's three, Naruto. Well, almost three. Three years," she sighed. "It feels like it's been lifetime though… those chunin exams where we first met."

He stared coldly at her. Her teal eyes looked away, unable to meet his icy blue ones. Now that he looked closer at her, he noticed how tired the blonde looked. Still, he could not find himself caring much about that. Even if she was one of the only people who had bothered to visit him with seemingly no ulterior motives, he still felt bitter. Mostly due to his own foolishness, and this made it even worse.

He still had vivid memories of the hope he had carefully hidden, when she had approached him not too long after he had been thrown in this hellhole. How Gaara had changed his views thanks to him, how she was grateful to have her little brother back, how she and Gaara tried to convince her father, the Kazekage, to free him. Or to at least give him a little more leeway than he had now. Yes, he had fallen for those promises like a fool.

Sadly, nothing ever came out of it. It had been the last time Naruto had felt any hopes of getting out of this place, and they had died out with the passing of time. Not that he hated her, mind you, but he could not feel anything positive either. To him, she was just like everyone else, and he felt nothing. Or at least, that was what he wanted to believe.

Looking at her, he noticed how her sandy blonde hair was carefully gathered in her usual four consecutive pigtails. She wore a short-sleeved, black kimono that reached down to her legs, with slits along the side and a more revealing neckline. Definitely not ugly, he noted, even if she was one of his enemies. While her choice of clothing had almost completely changed since he had last seen her- had it been weeks or months?- he noticed she had kept the red sash that was tied around her waist. The fingerless black gloves were new, though, and her hitai-ate had moved from her neck to her forehead.

' _What's with the clothes?'_ Naruto was a bit weary, almost wondering if he had grown paranoid due to his solitude. ' _Could it be that she's sent her to convince me to serve Konoha? Torture didn't work and brainwashing was ineffective too, so now they'd resort to seduction again?_

He snorted, for the first time since… he couldn't say how long it had been since he had felt amused.

Unaware of his line of thinking, Temari frowned when she heard him snort. "What?" she asked. At first she thought she had screwed up by mentioning the Chunin Exams, as this had been the event where everything had gone wrong for him.

"Why don't you just say what you want from me?"

"I… we… ugh," she groaned, frustrated and searching for the right words. This had seemed so much easier when she had been rehearsing the conversation in her head, prior going to his jail. "We never wanted this to happen. Gaara and I, we tried to get you out. But father didn't want to cooperate. The elders didn't want it either."

"This bullshit again? Try something new, Temari," Naruto sighed.

"It's not a lie!" she glared at him. "It took us time, but we finally… well, we finally managed to find a way to convince Father," her glare had vanished while she spoke, morphing into an expression of guilt that confused Naruto thoroughly.

* * *

-Z-

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He rather did not come down here, but in this matter he had little choice. He couldn't afford to be absent, no matter how badly he rather stayed at his home. His stoic face remained unreadable for those gathered in the room, with one major exception. Unfortunately the man he hated most also knew him very well, and had made a point out of recognizing his each and every expression.

Some would argue that it would be natural for a father to know his son so well, but this case was different. This was the one man who could control him, who could stop him in case he lost control. And even though he had not lost control during these past three years, not even once, the man still was very wary of his son.

He had fair skin and short spiky red hair. His green eyes, lacking distinctive pupils, stared into the room with a deceptive calmness. Aside from the Kazekage, none could see that Sabaku no Gaara was anxious. That, in turn, made Rasa nervous, though he hid that well. Behind the veil he wore no one could see his expression anyway. It did not change the fact that Rasa still could not fully understand why his son had changed so much. In truth, even Gaara wondered how that one encounter could have left him changed so profoundly.

" _My existence will not be extinguished!"_ Gaara remembered himself shouting, the first time he had ever been defeated. Even three years later he still remembered perfectly well how afraid he had been. Afraid that someone existed who could fight him on equal grounds, without petty tricks, and actually take him down while fighting him head-on. Someone who, in spite of the injuries and exhaustion, still refused to go down.

In a sense it was no surprise to Gaara that his father had never managed to break the indomitable will of Uzumaki Naruto. And yet… Gaara knew better than anyone how much they had made his fellow jinchuriki suffer.

" _The pain of being alone is not an easy one to bear… your feelings… why is it that I can understand your pain? But… I have people who are precious to me now… I won't let you hurt those people. If you try to kill them, I will stop you."_

Those words of loneliness and the importance of those he cared about, something about Naruto's words had reverberated in Gaara's soul. They had changed him fundamentally. The boy who had always sought for a reason to exist, without ever having a reason to be strong, now met someone who should have been weaker than him. By all accounts the other jinchuriki should have been stronger, though, but his lack of training left his abilities as a shinobi practically crippled. Gaara, by contrast, had been trained to become the perfect weapon from the moment he first learned to walk.

Why had anyone gone so far for other peoples' sake? It was a question that left Gaara completely baffled at the time. Not Naruto, though.

" _They saved me from the hell of being alone. They acknowledged my existence… that's why they're all important to me._ "

For a moment Gaara closed his eyes, and in his mind he saw how the blooded Uzumaki had crawled towards him. He saw that _something_ in the eyes of the blond, that willpower that made Gaara understand why Naruto had been able to go so far. Why he had been able to beat Gaara, even if his training had been inferior.

Love.

That had been why Uzumaki Naruto was stronger. That was what Gaara had lacked. In fact, it was also something which Naruto had lacked, but he had struggled to attain it. The love of friends, of people who replaced the positions that parents or siblings should have had in his empty life. Gaara had always had siblings, an older brother and sister who always had kept a bit of distance between themselves and him. When younger, he remembered Temari secretly visiting him, singing him songs and such. Or Kankuro fooling around with his stuffed toy. That wasn't what their father had wanted, though. Rasa, the Yondaime Kazekage, wanted Gaara to become the perfect weapon. Not a human who could be swayed by a weakness such as emotions, but a _tool_.

Gaara remembered that day well. The final round of the Chunin Exams had been a day of victory for Sunagakure, a day when they had struck a harsh blow in the heart of their rival village. Gaara remembered how he had sensed how one of Orochimaru's underlings had intercepted the approaching Uchiha, shortly before Temari and Kankuro had caught up with him.

At the time he had not known in what state Konoha would be left. He knew that Orochimaru of the Sannin would engage the Sandaime Hokage, while the Kazekage and his strongest jonin would take down the gathered elite of Konoha. The invading troops from Sunagakure and Otogakure would overrun Konoha's defenses, and Gaara had been forced to make a decision he had second-guessed ever since.

He had chosen to take Naruto with them, to have Temari carry the other jinchuriki after she knocked him out. Even if Gaara had not fully comprehended that Naruto had been a jinchuriki at the time, he knew that Naruto had a monster sealed within him as well, and that Naruto was familiar to what he had suffered.

' _Naruto, that day I acknowledged you as a precious person,'_ Gaara recalled. ' _That you were someone who acknowledged me, understood me, and drove away my solitude. I wonder… how much will you hate me, for my choice? Because of my desire to keep you out of the invasion, because of my fear that one of Orochimaru's men would exploit your weakened condition, I dragged you to Sunagakure. And look at how Father treated you…'_

Just when he wondered whether his sister would manage to convince Naruto to cooperate with their plan, he saw her enter the room. In her wake… Gaara clenched his fists, and let out an involuntary growl when he saw the person he considered to be his friend.

In a colorless rag that barely managed to act as pants, Uzumaki Naruto unsteadily walked into the room, following Temari. She still held his hand, apparently supporting the famished Uzumaki.

"So much for your promise to treat him in a civilized way," Gaara glared at his father. The guards stepped forward, fearing that Gaara would act against his father. Rasa simply lifted a hand to stop them.

"His life could have been better if he had been more cooperative," Rasa looked back at Gaara. The Kazekage kept his calm, but Gaara could see the unease in the man's eyes.

' _He is getting more and more afraid of my growing strength,'_ Gaara took no small amount of satisfaction in that realization. Perhaps that had been why Rasa had agreed to what he and Temari had proposed. Though, knowing his father, Gaara still expected his father to hold some sort of ace up his sleeve. "Then you should have allowed me to meet him."

"We've had this conversation before," Rasa shot back, slightly irritated.

"Indeed," the jinchuriki of the Ichibi remained impassive. "I remember you saying that it was unwise to let me near the person who had managed to defeat me. I remember that you refused to accept that I was no longer the same person I was before I met him. And yet… here I am."

"You were the one who made this proposition."

"I was," Gaara turned away, rather looking at Naruto than his increasingly annoyed father. There had been times that this annoyance would have caused Gaara to go on a murderous rampage, but times had changed. "I knew you would be stubborn, and waste this chance."

"Her life still depends on his choice."

"I know, Father. But I know him better than you do," Gaara could pointed out that his father's crude way in dealing with the other jinchuriki would only prove that point, but chose not to. Pointless arguments with the man who ultimately still held the power to decide on Naruto's wellbeing would only be counterproductive. "Greetings, Uzumaki Naruto."

"Gaara," the tired-looking Uzumaki did not bow or incline his head, in no way did he show any emotion other than a perfect apathy. "You here to finish the job?"

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-Z-

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Three years without proper physical exercise had definitely not been without consequences. Just walking up the stupid stairs had reduced him to a panting mess, one who silently cursed the already aching muscles in his legs. It was rather preposterous, he had once been inexhaustible, and now he was… pathetic was the only word he could think of that adequately described him as he was now.

' _This nonsense better be worth it,'_ Naruto grumbled inwardly. ' _Why she'd be so damn shifty about her dad wanting to make a deal with me makes the whole thing suspicious, though. Oh well, if this is my execution it would be fine too.'_

Part of him wanted to like his fellow blonde. She offered him a hand, trying to support him when she saw how weakened he was from the little walk out of his prison to here. He begrudgingly accepted the help, knowing that if he didn't support himself like he did now- one hand was placed on the wall next to him- he would quickly fall over.

Like he concluded earlier: pathetic.

"We're almost there," she promised.

He kept him mouth shut and soldiered on. If this was going to be his death he'd at least try to keep some dignity. As such Temari guided him to a large room. In the back of the room was a man with white robes and a blue hat that signified his position: the Yondaime Kazekage, Rasa. Surrounding the man were four guards, masked with the typical cloths in front of their faces, rather than Konoha's Anbu that wore masks. Standing separately was a familiar face, one which Naruto had not seen in three years. He knew, however, that this was the person responsible for his imprisonment. Or, as Temari had claimed, the person who had tried to get him out of a warzone.

Gaara got in some kind of argument the moment Naruto entered the room, though Naruto was too tired to really pay attention. Something about his treatment. He could feel Temari tense up the moment the Kazekage's voice sounded more annoyed, making him wonder what this was all about. Could it be that her stories had been true, that Gaara had really tried to get him out of jail? ' _No_ ,' he decided. ' _It's just another charade. Another attempt to break what little is left of my sanity.'_

"Greetings, Uzumaki Naruto," Gaara's gravelly voice now directed at him.

"Gaara," Naruto felt empty, tired, and rather wished they just stated what they wanted from him. As long as he would breathe he would not be their weapon, so they would be better off if they just killed him. "You here to finish the job?"

After blinking once, the only sign of surprise that could be seen on Gaara's impassive face, the jinchuriki of the Ichibi shook his head. "As long as I live, you will not be executed by Sunagakure," his earnest voice caused one of the Anbu to draw a blade.

"Seems like they don't all think that way," Naruto smirked wryly. "So… what's so important that I had to come up here? Not that I don't like getting out of my prison cell for a change, but you guys know by now that I'm not going to bend the knee."

"Swearing your allegiance would be a wise move," the Kazekage interjected with a deceptively calm voice. The unspoken threat left Naruto indifferent, though. He had gotten worse threats. And many of those threats had been followed through as well. Suna's torturers were nothing if not thorough.

"After the shit you guys did? Fuck you," Naruto flipped the man off. Part of him hoped he'd be rewarded with death, and he instinctively stepped aside and let go of Temari. If they were going to attack him, he would not drag along the one person who had treated him nicely- even if he thought it had all been a lie.

"Yes, my men inflicted a lot of pain… to you," the Kazekage's mirth shortly paused the Uzumaki, enough for Temari to grab his arm and keep him from falling face-down. The leader of Sunagakure gestured one of his guards, who walked out of the room.

"I'm sorry," Temari whispered, confusing Naruto even more. That confusion turned to unbridled rage when the Anbu returned with a second prisoner in tow.

Dragged along by the man was a girl in a plain brown dress. A dress filled with bloodstains. The girl was bruised and held her arm as if it was broken. Her pink hair was a mess, with spots of dried up blood that had only been washed out roughly. Her green eyes were filled with tears when she saw him, muttering something incoherent- Naruto guessed that it was his name.

"As you can see, Uzumaki Naruto," the Kazekage gloated. "We caught ourselves a little spy. It took a surprising amount of time to break her, but we eventually got everything out of her."

"Bastards," Naruto growled. Faster than he could blink two Anbu had moved in, slamming him to the ground.

"Enough," Gaara's voice was loud enough to silence even Temari's protests. Even the two Anbu looked insecurely from their master to the man's son. "Tell him about the deal, Father. It's no use to prolong this, just because you are frustrated that you could not get Naruto to serve you."

"What deal could I want with you filthy animals?" Naruto spat.

"Do you wish that girl to die?" the Kazekage asked, though everyone in the room saw how he twitched when Gaara talked to him like that. The man had been moments away from attacking his son. Even Naruto, who tried to get back on his feet, had seen it. "We could keep torturing her. And… she's a fine looking young lady, if those bruises and cuts are gone. Sunagakure could always need more children."

The Uzumaki cringed. Konoha had abandoned him, he tried to tell himself. But even he did not believe that anymore, not after seeing the look in Sakura's eyes. The idea that she would have to endure the same treatment he had infuriated him, and the suggestion that they could just use her for breeding purposes…

' _That bastard is going to pay. Even if I have to sell my fucking soul to the Shinigami itself, I'm going to make him suffer for this,'_ Naruto vowed. "Or?"

"Or you could serve as Suna's jinchuriki. As long as you remain faithful, the girl will live. She won't suffer as long as you obey, and if you prove yourself to be able to keep your word, we might even give her some more lenience," the Kazekage chuckled. "My village could use someone with your power, boy. And you don't want your old teammate to suffer and die because of your stubbornness, do you?"

"…no," Naruto swallowed all the insults and threat that he had in mind, swallowed his pride, and bowed his head slightly. "You have my word, as long as you keep your end of the bargain. But I promise you one thing," he glared up at the man. "If Sakura is mistreated in any way, I'll break the seal myself. The Kyuubi would be happy to turn your entire fucked up village into a crater."

"Idle threats," the Kazekage huffed.

"What do you think the Kyuubi has been trying to convince me to do for the past three years?" Naruto's eyes turned red. "It would actually be easy for me to just destroy the seal… but I won't. I never go back on my word, even if it is one given to scum like you… Kazekage-sama," he added mockingly.

"Very well, Uzumaki Naruto," the man rose from his seat and walked towards the defiant jinchuriki. A thin cloud of gold dust followed in the man's wake. "I will not forget your words. But do not forget who controls this game, boy." With one flick of his finger the dust gathered around Naruto's right hand, forming a dense golden ring on his index finger. "Temari, get this brat out of my sight. As part of your deal, he will stay at your side."

"Yes, Father," Temari bowed.

"You know what will be expected of you," he glared at his daughter. "Do not fail me. I will not be embarrassed in front of the council again."

* * *

 **Author's notes:**

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A _**word of warning**_ is probably fair. While working on Pareidolia, I had this annoying idea stuck in my head. Unable to escape… well, I wrote it out, and before I knew what happened I had written four more chapters as well. The bugger just seemed to write themselves, all in the course of a few days. Unfortunately I ran out of inspiration. And time… So, I'll publish what I have, after some editing, and perhaps in due time I'll find the time to continue the story. Or find someone to adopt it. It isn't the ideal solution, but I felt like it was a waste to just delete what I had worked on.

Having gained experience from writing other stories, I know that I have to warn some of you that this story is _fanfiction_. This means that my story will _**deviate**_ from canon, therefore will contain some AU/original elements. Additionally, it will imply that characters might behave differently due to the different experiences they go through. My friendly advice to anyone who just wants a rehash of the manga: reread the manga, and do not waste your time on this story- or any form of fanfiction for that matter.

Beyond that, this story is rated 'M' for some very good reasons. This is not going to be some kind of happy-go-lucky story in a universe filled with butterflies and unicorns. Naruto isn't going to be some kind of evil scumbag, mind you, but he will be far darker than his manga counterpart. This is a logical consequence of the stuff he experiences, as shinobi are, in my view, not people who fight with fluffy pillows and rubber duckies.

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 **-Ziltoid-**


	2. Rules of engagement

**Rules of engagement**

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"Do you want something to eat?" she tried to smile, but even to herself the attempt felt fake. As if the mere movement of her lips was straining against all the muscles in her face. "You have to eat something…"

"Where is she?" were the first words he uttered after leaving the hall, after regaining some shred of freedom. Though, freedom? All they had achieved was that they had shackled him in a different way. Then again, what alternatives did he have? Whatever had happened, Sakura was still his teammate. She was a friend. Had been a friend, at least. What she had been doing in Sunagakure, how she had ended up getting caught, why it happened three years after his abduction, he did not know. All he knew was that he had to obey the Kazekage, or she would suffer the consequences.

"Haruno Sakura was returned to her jail cell," Sabaku no Gaara spoke up. He, too, had been silent for most of the time. It left Temari feeling incredibly uncomfortable, the only of the three who had tried to start a conversation. "I will return in a few hours, to check up on her. Father warned me that you cannot see her yet, as he fears that you would try something foolish."

"Tsk, what would be the point," Naruto scowled. "As I am now… I would not be able to free Sakura and get out of the village. We'd both die before I'd even reach the gates. Hell, I don't even know where those gates are."

"And yet you threatened to destroy Suna," Temari remarked.

"Releasing the Kyuubi from his seal would be something completely different from rescuing Sakura. Ask your brother."

"I doubt the Kyuubi would spare her life," Gaara agreed solemnly. "Not to mention that you would perish in the process as well."

Naruto shrugged, not bothering to confirm or deny that statement. Both jinchuriki knew perfectly well what would happen if Naruto broke the seal. Even Temari knew it, though she could not really relate as she was no jinchuriki herself. "I basically died the moment you brought me here."

There was no venom in his voice, only an exhausted blandness. That apathy, the offhanded way in which it was said, was even worse to Gaara, who cringed slightly when he heard those words.

"Then, why didn't you break the seal before?" Temari hesitated. "If you were able to do it… what stopped you?"

Sighing, Naruto looked away from the siblings. For a moment he took in his new surroundings. No longer was he holed up, but rather brought to a relatively spacious house. Gaara's home, he had said. Apparently Gaara did not have a great relationship with his father, and had moved out as soon as he could. There was a tension between his fellow jinchuriki and the Kazekage which Naruto could not really understand, though at the moment he could not exactly be interested in it either.

Rubbing over the white sleeve of the first clean piece of clothing he had worn in years, Naruto thought of the seals that were still in place. He would still be restricted in his access to the Kyuubi's chakra, at first, but Gaara had said that those restrictions would be diminished in due time. It took time; time to prove himself, time to show that he would keep his promise. Until the moment the Kazekage and his council were less afraid of him, Naruto had to deal with those restrictions.

"The Kyuubi refused," Naruto eventually admitted. For the first time since beating him, Naruto actually saw Gaara's eyes widen in shock. Temari also gasped, although Naruto wondered what shocked her more: his willingness to lay down his life, or the fact that he communicated with the Nine-Tailed Fox itself. Gaara's communication with the Ichibi had been rather strenuous, to say the least, so he knew she would fear it. "The seals on my body, combined with my physical condition… he believed that I would die before he could get out. The seals aren't exactly functioning perfectly, but still they suppress and limit the amount of his chakra that can enter my system. The strain of taking down the seal will kill me in a matter of minutes, while it would take more time for the Kyuubi to get out of my body."

"Then… your threat…"

"The Kyuubi is working on it," Naruto smirked slyly. "Though no one has noticed how the restricting seals have weakened, so the odds of him surviving now wouldn't be too bad. You guys really do need to get your hands on someone who knows fuinjutsu. Of course… even if I died before those seals are fully corroded, the Kyuubi would still reform after some time. But for some reason he refuses to go down with me. I guess that bastard is too proud to accept defeat, even if he can't die."

Unsteadily he walked off, half expecting to be halted by the siblings. To his surprise they did nothing. He walked out of the house, into the dry patch of land that functioned as a garden. Part of him longed for the green environment in which he grew up, the smell of grass, the rustling of the wind that passed through the leaves… he quickly discarded that sense of nostalgia, rather just celebrating the fact that he could see the sky again.

"Are you alright?"

He blinked, seeing Temari standing at his side. "I'm appreciating the moment… though the cost at which it comes is too high. How did you guys capture her?"

"Haruno Sakura was part of a team which was spying on Sunagakure," she repeated what the Kazekage had already told him. "When they were discovered, she stayed behind to ensure that the others could escape. Our shinobi set out to capture the others, but they managed to get away."

"It is not easy to capture a team that consists of a Hyuga, an Inuzuka, and an Aburame," Gaara spoke up. "They were familiar as well. Their team was in the Chunin Exams as well."

"Hinata, Kiba, and Shino," Naruto spoke up slowly, remembering his old classmates. It had been three years since he had seen them, and part of him wondered how they would look now. He wondered if Akamaru could still sit on top of Kiba's head, though he knew that the pup would have grown considerably by now. He recalled how oddly Hinata had always acted around him, wondering if she had been cured of whatever illness it was that caused her to faint. And… ' _What did Shino look like again?'_ he pondered.

"I was the first to notice them," Gaara admitted. "I felt a disturbance in the sands of the desert, and set out to check it out. When I saw them…" he paused for a moment when he heard Naruto growl. "When I saw them I allowed them to get close," the jinchuriki continued firmly. "I knew that the Hyuga should be able to locate you, if she was able to get close enough. I bought them time by distracting the guard, and when their presence was discovered I managed to create another distraction."

"That sandstorm?" Temari eyed her brother. "Gaara… if Father-"

"He suspects," Gaara had a small smile on his face. "Why did you think he was so guarded today? Still, it was not the time to openly oppose him yet. He still had you in his prisons," he looked at Naruto.

"Why would that matter to you?"

"I believe my sister told you that we tried to get you out," Gaara's head tilted slightly. If he had possessed eyebrows he would have had one raised to show his surprise. "You were the one who showed me that my existence is not as empty as I once believed. In a way, you acknowledged me. That was why I did not want you to fall in enemy hands. If Orochimaru had captured you, like he caught the Uchiha… I would rather not think about that. Though, my father has shown himself to be barely any better than that disgusting man."

"Gaara…" Temari warned.

"I know, we have watchers," Gaara nodded. "But they are not close enough to overhear our conversation. They no longer take such risks. Father is no longer sure whether he would win a direct confrontation."

"What's going on?" Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Are those things she told me true?" he nodded at Temari.

"If you knew my sister well enough, you'd know she is not the type to surround herself with lies. We both regret our father's choices, though neither of us could change the situation. The unfortunate capture of Haruno-san meant that we could strike a deal, and that you could finally get out of that prison. Even if it meant that we replaced one shackle with the other," Gaara admitted.

"…you speak of yourself and of Temari," Naruto said after a moment of silence. He wondered what kind of situation he had gotten himself into now, considering how the apparent conflict between them and their father could benefit him. Could it provide a chance to liberate Sakura? To return to Konoha? Still, Naruto knew that he had heard nothing on the third sibling. "What about the guy with the makeup? The puppeteer, wasn't he your brother?"

Temari scowled, and even Gaara's expression seemed to sour. "Our brother Kankuro is currently held by Otogakure," Temari was the first to speak up.

"Eh? Wasn't Orochimaru your ally?"

"Yes, and still is." The clipped tone of voice left Naruto with more questions, but he decided to shrug it off. "I shall inspect your friend, Naruto. Temari will take care of you, as she was ordered to by our father."

"You make it sound like I'm doing this because he told me to," Temari looked at her brother, who- gourd and all- shrugged, and walked away. "I'll prepare some food," the blonde sighed, turning to Naruto. "Please don't leave the house. While our generation is supportive of Gaara, many of the older shinobi have rather strong feelings against jinchuriki…"

* * *

-Z-

* * *

"But…"

"Do as I told you." The discussion was cut short, and the Anbu did as commanded. While the chain of command was a bit unclear at this point, the woman knew very well that her ability was nowhere near what was needed to defend herself.

Even after three calm years the legacy of instability had not left him, in no small part due to the council- and probably even the Kazekage himself. It was obvious why: Gaara became too strong. In the militaristic society they lived in strength was one of the main aspects that determined rank. And while Gaara had always been strong, the control he had gained in the past three years, combined with his intelligence, made him a strong contender for the position- whether it was informal or not- as strongest of the village.

The Anbu took out a key and walked into the prison cell. With one final look at Gaara she focused her chakra, generating a green glow around her hands. The injured prisoner tried to back off, but had nowhere to go.

"Leave us," Gaara ordered after the Anbu finished healing the injuries. Looking around he realized that there was no furniture in the room aside from the shabby bed on which the prisoner tried to be as invisible as possible. Sitting down on the bed would mean he would have to go near her, which in turn would only increase her anxiety. With a flick of his hand he created a seat out of the sands stored in his gourd.

Not being one for talking, he simply waited.

"W-what are you doing here?"

"Visiting," he said dryly. His patience had outlasted her fear, which he considered to be a good thing. Had she truly seen him as the enemy she would not have spoken at all. At least, he knew he would not have done so if he had been in her position.

"Why?"

"Because I promised Naruto to check up on you."

"Where is he?"

"Naruto? At my house. While your capture was unfortunate, your position as a hostage gave us a chance to give Naruto a bit more freedom. How are you doing?"

"I… uhm… most of my injuries are gone now, thanks to her," Sakura nodded at the door. "But where is Sasuke-kun?"

"Sasuke?" Gaara was surprised for a moment. "The Uchiha? We do not have the Uchiha in captivity. He was taken by Otogakure during the attack on Konoha, three years ago."

"That can't be," she glared at him. "I know he went to where you and Naruto were fighting, after the sand released me. I was only barely conscious, but I know I saw Sasuke-kun back then."

"He approached, but was intercepted," the jinchuriki shrugged. "Your new Hokage should know. After all, it was Shimaru Danzo who paved the way for the attack on Konoha, in exchange for Orochimaru's attempt on the Sandaime's life."

"T-that's impossible," Sakura slumped down. If possible she looked even more fragile than before her injuries had been healed. "No one ever believed me… no one even seemed to care. Only Hinata… she never forgot either. She got away, didn't she?"

"The team that accompanied you in your mission to spy on Sunagakure managed to escape, yes."

"Then Konoha will know."

"I doubt Konoha will act," Gaara looked at her. "After all, you yourself confessed that your mission was clandestine. It would be more likely that you are declared a traitor, so that Konoha can deny any involvement in this case."

"N-no…" her despair was almost palpable. To her credit, the girl quickly shifted her thoughts to a different matter. Clearly she knew that she had to get the most out of the moment, and obtain as much information from him as she could. "Why did you help?" Sakura looked up at him. "That sandstorm wasn't natural. The way some of our pursuers were distracted by dust was also no coincidence. What are you playing at?"

"Naruto has been held captive in Sunagakure for three years. In spite of my attempts to convince him, my father tried to force Naruto into our village's ranks. I want to repay Naruto for what he did for me, yet instead he only suffered due to my attempt to keep him out of Otogakure's hands," Gaara looked at the kunoichi, and realized that in spite of her own treatment, she still did not fully comprehend what had happened to Naruto. "Naruto refused. Ever since my father threw him in prison, not a single form of the torture or interrogation techniques that could be used without risking the release of the Kyuubi has proven to be effective. He never cracked."

Sakura blinked. "Y-you mean… for all these three years…"

"Yes," Gaara nodded. "Then you must realize how significant it is that he gave in, the moment you were captured. So for his sake I will keep the fact from him that you came here with another person in mind."

He wondered why she had only come to Suna three years after Naruto's disappearance. Gaara knew that Naruto's 'stay' in their village was kept a secret, and yet the quartet of Konoha nin had come to the village with a clear goal in mind. Who had leaked the information about Naruto? And why? This was the sort of incident, considering how Konoha had assumed that Naruto died during the invasion, which could cause war. Was it Iwagakure? Kumogakure? Who would profit most from a conflict?

' _Did I make a mistake by allowing the other three to escape? It seemed like the right thing to do, but on the long term it seems my actions would do more harm than good,'_ he pondered, looking at the sputtering pinkette before he left her prison. ' _Perhaps my words were too harsh. While she does not hold Naruto in the same regard as the Uchiha, she still seems to consider him to be a friend. A teammate. Still… she cracked during the interrogations. Anger and guilt could give her the strength to survive the solitude she has yet to endure. It would give her more strength than self-pity and naivety.'_

* * *

-Z-

* * *

 _Strapped onto a table, with every access to chakra sealed off, there was no escape. A taunting voice talked and laughed, before a knife pierced the flesh. An assistant took a pair of pincers out of the nearby fire, heated to the point that the metal glowed a dreadful orange- a color which had become associated with pain._

 _This hissing of the instrument touching the open wound, it made it impossible to suppress a groan of pain. Months before it would have elicited a scream, but the constant suffering had dulled the senses. It had created a strange indifference to the sensation, as if it all happened to someone else's body. As if the soul was separate, untouched by the physical anguish._

 _And yet the smell of burning flesh was nauseating as ever. Or was it the pain that forced the meager contents of the stomach to be forcibly ejected? The interrogator- torturer- cursed when his working place was defiled. The pincers struck again, as punishment for vomiting._

 _Burning flesh… the smell…_

He moved in an instant, the moment someone disturbed him. One hand to the throat, the other aiming to grab the hand which held… where were the pincers? Now that his mind began to process information again, he realized that this room wasn't filled with artificial light. He heard gasps, and saw the young woman whose throat was held in his grip.

"T-Temari?" he blinked. Only now did he realize what he was doing, and let go.

Coughing and wheezing, the blonde regained her composure. "Dinner… Dinner is ready," she coughed.

"I'm sorry," he felt ashamed by his actions. It bemused him how different this felt from the apathy he had grown accustomed to. The emotion was still a bad one, of course, but… he _felt_ something. A twisted corner of his mind noted that this act, even if unintentional, had made him feel alive. The adrenaline that shot through his body, the power he felt when he squeezed her throat shut, the sensations made him feel tainted. That wasn't who he was. He wasn't like them. He was better. Right?

But why did it feel so good when he thought that he was killing his interrogator?

A dark and deep voice laughed, momentarily confusing him.

' _Fuck off, Kyuubi.'_

"Ah… ehm, you were asleep," the kunoichi tried to stay calm and level-headed, but Naruto could see she was confused. Probably because he had suddenly shown himself far stronger than she- and he as well- had expected him to be. "You had a bad dream."

"I had," he nodded, brusquer than he really intended to. Then again, talking about how you were tortured was not exactly the right substance for conversations during dinner. Especially not when considering that this was his first 'real' meal in years.

She blinked, though her years near Gaara had given her plenty of practice of dealing with people who used a bare minimum of words, this wasn't what she had been expecting. Not from Naruto, at least.

"Smells good," he complimented lamely, following her into the kitchen. He had waited in the yard, having taken place on a bench that stood there, when he had drifted off to sleep. Now that he entered, the smell of a well-done steak entered his nostrils. Perhaps this was what had caused that specific dream?

"Heh, I guess everything would taste better than the trash they fed you in prison," she attempted to make a joke in order to lighten his mood. "Truth is that I'm not much of a cook. I was trained to be a strong kunoichi, not a perfect housewife."

"Um… well, I guess you won't get much criticism from me," Naruto looked at his food and tried not to drool. "It's not like I'm accustomed to home cooked meals, even before I ended up in here."

She frowned when she saw his smile vanish. "Are you still angry… that we… well, you'd be right if you blamed us," she assumed that he was thinking about his years as a prisoner.

"What?" he looked away from the food, distracted by her question. "I… no… yes? I don't know. I'm too confused to know what to think right now," he frowned. Sure, he wanted vengeance, but did he want to lash out against Gaara and Temari? He honestly didn't know. They _seemed_ honest. Their father was going to pay, though. "It doesn't matter, not right now. I don't know what you guys want from me, but I'm no longer the fool I once was. But that's not what I was thinking about," he admitted. "This just feels wrong. Being here, getting food, being able to see the sky again, while someone else was thrown into that hellhole because of me."

"Gaara will make sure she gets a fair treatment. No matter what the Kazekage ordered, few are stupid enough to ignore the fact that Gaara is inevitably going to be the next Kazekage," she wasn't boasting, even though she felt proud how much her little brother had changed. She didn't need to boast about him, though, as what she said was a fact. "That's why we wanted to get you out, by the way."

"Eh?"

"Because of you, Gaara was able to change," Temari smiled. A genuine smile, rather than a forced one. "I don't know what it was you told him, but Gaara has praised you ever since. I understand that it must be hard for you to understand, after all you went through, but he sees you as a friend."

"Really," the jinchuriki raised one eyebrow, leaving it hard to determine for Temari whether he was skeptical or surprised. "Not that I don't appreciate it," he continued with the same empty tone of voice. "But what do you want from me?"

"I figured that was obvious," she sighed. "Father and the council want you because of the Kyuubi. They can't get around you either, because no one can safely open the seal on your stomach. But that's what they want. Gaara and I… we just want you to be free. I want you freed, because I am grateful for getting my little brother back. Those things aside, we don't want a thing from you."

"Really?" Naruto frowned. "From the looks of it, Gaara and the Kazekage don't seem to get along very well. You sure you don't need me to tip the balance in Gaara's favor? Your interrogators have made it quite clear how valuable an asset I am," he added. His glare now fixed on her teal eyes. "No one ever does something for me without wanting something out of it. Your people made a fair point when they said that even the old man was kind to me because Konoha needed me to be loyal to the Hokage. As much as I want to believe you… as much as I once again want to believe your promises, I can't afford… I shouldn't… I know I shouldn't. What are you hiding from me?"

"I'm not hiding anything."

"You're lying," he had seen her eyes turn away when she spoke. Ironically he had learned a thing or two about detecting lies, as one of his interrogators had loved to gloat about the extensive knowledge he had. Rather than dejecting Naruto, however, the man had inadvertently taught Naruto how to become a better liar. Unsurprisingly, that fool's career had not lasted long. "What are you hiding?"

Temari flushed a shade of crimson he had not seen on her before. Mistaking embarrassment for anger, Naruto chuckled humorlessly, thinking he had her cornered.

"Tell me what you want from me."

In spite of his emaciated condition he still managed to scare her. The dinner still stood on the table, slowly cooling down, completely forgotten by both. Temari had her concerns. Having visited him during his imprisonment she knew how paranoid he had become. The boisterous and naïve little kid he had been before his imprisonment had changed. She blamed her father for it. She blamed herself for dragging him along, even if she had agreed with Gaara's assessment at the time- that he would not be safe in Konoha while it was under attack.

In spite of it all, she knew better than most how extremely dangerous an unstable jinchuriki could be. She did not want to add on to his already great number of sorrows. She felt she had already caused him enough pain, and yet…

"There is something my father demanded from me, and you, in return for agreeing with this deal," Temari looked away, unable to meet his eyes. She mentally berated herself for showing such weakness, but… she knew she had to tell him. She had accepted that deal, although she had not seen any alternative to this option. Refusal would have meant the death of Haruno Sakura, and the continued imprisonment of Naruto. And it wasn't like she couldn't stall it, as even the council couldn't force her to rush things. Forcing things would defeat the entire purpose of her 'mission'.

"There is an old law in Sunagakure," Temari continued after a moment of silence. "Though, most villages have a similar law in place. It is actually quite simple, if you think about it… jinchuriki possess an unfathomable power, and even if they cannot control that power they are still considered to be vital parts of the village's military power."

"So?"

"The key is trust. Do you think Father trusts you, even if he has a hostage?" Temari finally mustered the courage to look him in the eye. "Because trust is essential, those who are selected to become jinchuriki are chosen because they are deemed to be in a position where they will never betray their village. Like Gaara, the son of the Kazekage."

"Wait," Naruto's suspicion-filled glare faltered, replaced by one of shock and disbelief. "You can't say that-"

"Yes," Temari was not looking forward to seeing his reaction. She braced herself for the impending rejection. Not that she could blame him for getting angry when he heard that there was yet another shackle to tie him down. "Father and the council agreed that the best way to tie you to the village is through marriage. Our marriage."

* * *

 **Author's notes:**

* * *

Truly, you didn't think Rasa just let Naruto out with a few shabby seals to restrict his power and Sakura as a hostage? Of course, Temari wasn't meant to say it like this… but luckily for Naruto she's an honest individual. Naruto's suspicions could have been diverted with a lie or two, yet instead she told him what is _expected_ of them rather than attempt to seduce him. Then again… to expect the unexpected is the credo of the shinobi world, isn't it?

I mean, it's not like they just magically love each other now. Point is, I grew bored of all the Naruto/Temari stories out there, which are almost always based on the political marriage trope where Suna 'sells' Temari to Konoha in order to mend their broken ties. This story was more or less born out of the desire to do the opposite, being the wayward person I am.

For the sake of clarification, Gaara did not necessarily reach the right conclusion when talking with Sakura. While her prime concern is- just as it was in manga- Sasuke, she also worried greatly about Naruto. Which begs the question: why now? Unless… was Naruto's stay in Sunagakure kept a secret? But who could _possibly_ want to cause conflict between the two villages over a jinchuriki who was supposed to have died?

 **Edit** : thank you, **Fuyuriku** and **Illuminated** , for locating my typos!

* * *

 **-Ziltoid-**


	3. Kitsunebi

**Kitsunebi**

* * *

The land was dry and barren, and yet it held a strange sort of beauty. No matter how harsh the environment seemed, every morning and evening there was this sense of fragility in this unforgiving world. Currently he sat atop the roof of the place he now had to call 'home'. For a moment he could immerse himself in the beauty of sight of the setting sun, temporarily forgetting all the thoughts that kept buzzing through his head.

Even if the skies of the desert were cloudless, there was still that peculiar hue. Sands and dust, kicked up by the winds. Kaze no Kuni was quite the fitting name, Naruto considered. Without many obstacles to stop it, the wind reigned supreme. Never in Konoha had he felt gusts as strong and those were common here. Cliffs and mountains offered some shelter, but out there, in the open desert? Naruto wondered how strong the wind would be.

' _A leaf in the wind, that's exactly how much control I have over my life,'_ he smiled sardonically. ' _Even if I'm not really a leaf anymore.'_

Lower and lower the yellow orb of light sank, turning the sky red. The world looked like it was set ablaze, and his blue eyes tried to imprint that sight before the sun vanished for the night. Night, darkness, was currently his favorite time of day. He could see the stars in the clear skies, which was a far better thing to see than the ceiling of the jail he had been staring up to for the past years.

' _Perhaps that's also why I dislike daylight. The only times the light was turned up, it was when the interrogators came,'_ he mused. ' _Dimmed lights, darkness, those things were safe.'_

The night came rapidly in these lands. The light of the sun did not linger, and the stars were eager to illuminate the night. He still thought that those stars, and the moon as well, were somehow brighter than they had been back in Konoha. The sounds of the village had already been dying down, with the marketplace in the center of the village being cleared out about an hour ago, and shops closing not much later. He idly wondered what the shopping district of Sunagakure would look like, as Temari's descriptions had made him mildly curious.

It gave him a bitter taste in the mouth when he once again remembered himself that he was able to enjoy these moments because of the imprisonment of another person. Memories flashed through his head. The first tests they got from Hatake Kakashi. The mission in Nami no Kuni (Land of Waves). Haku. Zabuza. And then they got into the Chunin Exams. Life had been so simple back then. Becoming Hokage had been the only objective which he had clung to, though his true goal had been to be accepted by the people of his village. So much naivety and idealism, in hindsight he seemed almost slated to fail. It had been inevitable for that dream to shatter against the harsh reality of the shinobi world.

It would be so easy, and so terribly tempting, to just give up.

' _Why haven't I given up? Sure, I tried to end it all and let the Kyuubi out of his seal, but… that bastard stopped me. And I listened. Why? Did I still, somewhere deep inside, cling to my life? It seems so pathetic… if I had died, no one would have been in this mess. Sakura would not have come to Suna for my sake, and not have gotten imprisoned. And Temari would not have gotten stuck with a guy she doesn't even love.'_

Guilt was the strongest emotion he felt in that regard. His existence caused so much trouble for those around him that it hurt. And if he would selfishly put an end to his pain, he knew he would condemn Sakura to death as well. And what about Gaara and Temari? If he died, the Kyuubi would be free. Either now or in a few years, the demonic fox would burst through Suna's walls, eradicating everyone. Suna had no fuinjutsu specialist such as the Yondaime Hokage, thus no way of removing the threat the creature posed. Even in the case that Gaara, using the Ichibi's power, was able to halt the fox… the advantage of being the middle of the desert would make the One-Tail stronger, but would it really be enough to overpower the Nine-Tails? Naruto had seen the Ichibi, and had seen the Kyuubi as well, and he knew that the odds were not in Gaara's favor.

' _Huh… I guess I'm no longer completely indifferent,'_ he raised his eyebrows when he realized the way he was thinking. Three days ago he would not have cared, but now he already deemed the possible scenarios where Gaara or Temari would suffer to be undesirable. ' _That also means that Suna has its way. Leaf in the wind indeed. It seems like the wind directs my every move, until I finally fall to the ground.'_

"There you are."

Naruto looked at his side, just in time to see Temari land from her chakra-enhanced jump to the roof. "I was merely enjoying the view. The desert isn't nearly as bad as I once thought. It might be desolate and harsh, but that offers its own beauty as well. Of course, everything beats spending time in jail."

"True," Temari gave him a lopsided smile, then sighed and sat down next to him. "The view here must be quite different compared to what you were used to before we took you here. I remember the first time I passed our borders and saw a forest. It was only a small thing, no more than a hundred trees perhaps, but it seemed like a miracle to me back then."

He looked at her for a moment before returning his gaze to the stars. ' _It is odd_ ,' he thought. ' _Before all this happened I would have been overjoyed by the idea of having someone at my side. And now I barely know what to say anymore. Spending all that time without being able to do a single thing made me introspective. I'd probably call myself boring.'_ Even Uzumaki Naruto knew that he had not been a scholar, in any stretch of the word. He was an impetuous and uncontrollable bundle of overexcitement, someone who wasn't necessarily stupid, but whose unorthodox way of thinking usually remained misunderstood. Much like how he generally had trouble understanding those who calmly thought things through.

Those three years of solitude had changed that boy. Thinking had become something normal to him. Inaction was no longer something insufferable. And perhaps he had matured a little as well, and gained some patience. Too much, perhaps, considering the way Temari looked at him.

"I remember my first mission," he said awkwardly, knowing he had to talk about something in return. If they were exchanging memories, it would be rude for the exchange to remain one-sided. He knew what she was doing, though, as it was an attempt to create a bond between them. But even if he knew, some part of him didn't mind. He was tired of the loneliness.

"It was the first time I was allowed to go outside the walls of Konoha, actually. I had never seen anything… I didn't even really know much about the world outside. I wasn't very interested in the academy, and most of the teachers weren't interested in me either. Apart from flunking me for my every effort. You know, jinchuriki and all. Anyway, as I knew nothing everything was a surprise to me. Though, as useful as it was back then, I still regret that I wasn't able to see the sea through the fog," he gestured at the desert which they could see over the walls, from atop their home. "I saw the pictures in the books and scrolls, but seeing so much sand… I figure it would be the same for the sea, only with water instead of sand."

"Sort of," Temari nodded slowly. "The sands don't move around as much, though. Were you really never-"

"I was an orphan and there were only a few people who didn't see me as a pest. On top of that I was a jinchuriki, even if no one ever told me about that back then. 'Don't ever go beyond the walls', was one of the first things people taught me. Jii-san said that there were scary monsters in the woods," Naruto smiled fondly, though with sadness laced through his expression as well. "The analogy wasn't exactly wrong, as humans can be monstrous. Though, he failed to say that the ones that were inside the village were just as dangerous."

"Our people talk about Konoha as if it is a weak village, because the people there are spoiled," Temari frowned. "Gaara said you were just like him, but I didn't think Konoha would be just as bad as Suna."

"I didn't get assassins sent after me," he chuckled weakly. "Though there were a few accidents that were a bit… coincidental. Oh well, no use getting stuck in the past. It's not like I ever spent more than a day or two in the hospital."

"Those who linger in the past mostly do so because they don't think the future can be any better. Do you…"

"By that logic you should 'linger in the past' as well, no?" Naruto smiled sadly. "I won't pretend to know why you made this choice, but I can't imagine you're happy about it."

"Though Gaara is the obvious exception to the rule, Kankuro and I are children of a high dignitary of Sunagakure. Whatever my father is, he possesses one of the strongest Kekkei Genkai of our village. Because of that it was always expected of us that we… well, I had more choice in the matter than I once thought."

"How so?"

"The new Daimyo of Kaze no Kuni has a son," Temari's voice had an edge of bitterness that surprised Naruto. "A spoiled little pig. The council expected me to marry that pig, as our village needed stronger ties with the court in order to strengthen our financial position. I refused."

Naruto blinked, remembering how the Kazekage had spoken of how she had embarrassed him. Apparently that had been the refusal to marry that noble. After briefly meeting the Kazekage, Naruto wondered if Gaara had been the reason why she had been able to refuse.

"Father was furious, of course. The council as well," she sighed. "In fact, they were already preparing another suitor, but then Sakura was captured. And you know how it continued."

"You could have refused," Naruto looked at her. "Sakura would probably have died, and I would have stayed in prison, but you could have remained free. Now you're supposed to marry a guy you don't even love."

"Perhaps, but you've shown yourself to be worth more than some shitty nobleman," she patted him on his shoulder. "Don't worry about me. I've been raised knowing that I'd likely get into an arranged marriage. Just… let's just give it some time. After all that happened to you, I thought you'd be angrier about this."

"Angry? At first, perhaps, but then I realized it's worse for you. For me…" he paused for a moment. "Things could've been worse."

* * *

-Z-

* * *

" **How much two days can change a human. Fickle creatures…** "

"Change?" Naruto looked up at the gargantuan fox-like creature. All humans would fall to despair when in front of the Kyuubi, and yet Naruto smiled at the creature as if he were an old friend. A gesture definitely not returned by the kitsune. The red eyes stared down at the human with disgust, though Naruto was used to how the red-orange furred creature treated him.

People said that the Kyuubi was just a giant fox, but Naruto knew it was more than just that. Aside from the obvious differences between a regular kitsune and the Kyuubi- it possessed the upper-body structure of a human, complete with opposable thumbs on its clawed hands- the true difference was that the Kyuubi was intelligent. Very, _very_ intelligent.

With nowhere else to go, the Kyuubi had been the only thing Naruto could converse with during the past years. Jiraiya had given him a literal crash course on how to communicate with the creature sealed within him, and with a little practice Naruto had figured out how to do that without being thrown into a gorge as well.

Unfortunately, Naruto had quickly come to the conclusion that the Kyuubi cared very little about him and his suffering. He- the Kyuubi's voice sounded male, so Naruto referred to as such- was as cynical as he was shrewd. He occasionally made a joke, but its sense of humor was horribly twisted. For example: a favorite subject of the Kyuubi had been to place bets on what kind of methods of torture Naruto would have to endure the next day.

" **Yes, change. You don't seem nearly as dark and gloomy since you left that prison,** " the Kyuubi's booming voice was filled with mirth. " **Don't tell me that you're foolish enough to buy their deceit? That woman even admitted that her purpose is to seduce you.** "

As usual, the creature targeted the few things Naruto would cling to, the little things that gave him a shred of hope. Once, Naruto had asked him why he liked to depress Naruto so much. The Kyuubi had merely laughed at him. The fox hated mankind, down to the last child, and Naruto knew that this hatred targeted him more than any other. He was the beast's prison, after all. He was literally the thing standing between the Kyuubi and its freedom.

"It was because of what you taught me, Kyuubi," Naruto refused to be affected by the creature's words any longer, or at least refused to show it.

" **Oh?** " the enormous right ear shifted a little, as if the creature was surprised.

Naruto leaned back, not bothered at all that he was sitting in the stale water that filled this strange place. "You've taught me a valuable lesson… and that is that I should never give up. No matter if I'm imprisoned, no matter if I'm not shackled in a new way, if I completely give in to the hatred it won't matter what way they find to bind me. If I give in to that, I would be keeping myself as a prisoner. My own hatred would bind me for the rest of my days."

" **You… pesky little human.** "

"I won't say I pity you, Kyuubi," Naruto did not avert his gaze, though he also did no show the satisfaction he felt at finally finding a way to throw the creature off balance. "But I won't envy your eternal life."

" **So you lie to the woman?** " the venom was practically dripping from his voice.

"Why would I? Even if I don't trust her completely, I'd be a fool if I don't see her for who she is. Temari is brave, intelligent, and I doubt there's anyone who'd be blind enough to think that she's ugly. Forced or not, from my perspective this deal isn't completely horrible. Of course… the fact that she doesn't love me, or that I don't love her, that kinda ruins the whole thing. So I figured that if I show that I hate it, she would only be more miserable than she already must be. I can at least try to be nice and make things a bit more tolerable for her."

" **Have you already forgotten about that pink-haired girl?** "

"Sakura? No, I remember her perfectly well. But I also know she doesn't love me, and I accepted that long ago. You know this, Kyuubi, though I dare say that you would probably be very entertained if I kept chasing a pointless cause."

"… **huh, it seems you are not as foolish as you once were.** "

"Three years might not mean much to someone as old as you, but for a lowly human such as me it is plenty of time to get to learn a thing or two. Whatever you may be, I'm not stupid enough to ignore the fact that you are far wiser than you let on. Though, as said, I disagree with the way you let yourself be governed by your hate."

Behind prison bars the size of giant trees, the orange-furred creature slowly shook his head. " **You really are a strange human.** "

"Hopefully that's meant as a compliment," Naruto chuckled.

" **Hmm… well, at least you do not crucify me, or impale me with those pesky chakra-chains, making you a less annoying jailor than Mito and Kushina.** "

"Mito and Kushina?" Naruto blinked. "Who are they?"

" **Have you never wondered who I was sealed in before that retched Yondaime sealed me in you?** " the Kyuubi smirked. Obviously the creature was pleased that it had gotten back at Naruto, in a way. The fox knew that his jailor hated such teasing. Whether the ordeal of imprisonment had made the boy more patient or not, the boy was still definitely his mother's son.

"And?"

" **It must be obvious to you that they were my previous jinchuriki. But I'll let you fester with your curiosity for now. There are more urgent matters to focus on.** "

"Such as?" Naruto scowled, but knew better than to give the fox the satisfaction of urging him to give answers. Whoever these Mito and Kushina had been, it was clear to Naruto that the Kyuubi had not just accidentally dropped their names. He had annoyed the fox, and in return the fox was dangling a bit of apparently important information in front of his nose. ' _The bastard is and always will be a demon…'_

" **What is your plan?** "

"My first priority is recovery, after which I need to get stronger. From what I've learned so far there is a dispute between Gaara and the Kazekage. I figured that if Gaara become Kazekage, he would free both me and Sakura. But he'll probably need some help when it comes to dealing with his opponents," Naruto shrugged. "But don't get me wrong... I've not forgotten what they've done to me."

" **Foolish human,** " the fox sighed, though with an oddly tentative tone of voice. " **Your body is in a worse condition than you know. Of course, due to the healing factor of my chakra you will recover eventually, but your chakra pathways are too damaged for you to fight the way you were used to. Attempting to spawn those little clones of yours will probably kill you, never mind attempting to channel a full tail's worth of my chakra. That will take time.** "

"Is this another one of your tricks?" Naruto couldn't help but feel skeptical about the warning. Sure, he knew his body was a mess, but with proper food and a training regime that would allow him to recover his physical energy…

" **Your death at this point would be an annoyance to me, so no: I do not attempt to deceive you. Not this time.** "

"Well… why not? When I tried to kill myself, you also stopped me. A bijuu can reform once the jinchuriki dies, so why are you acting like this? Surely it can't be just your stupid pride?" the Uzumaki saw the fox flinch at that last remark.

" **The Yondaime was a thorough man,** " the Kyuubi hated to admit it, but he knew that the boy needed to know the danger he was in. " **While I won't bother with the specifics, he managed to split me in two. A bijuu, unlike you lowly humans, is a creature composed of chakra. The Yondaime split my Yin from my Yang. The latter was sealed in you, while my Yin was sealed elsewhere. Your death could create a situation where I might be unable to reform.** "

"Oh? While that sucks for you, why should I be bothered by it?"

" **The act of creation requires both Yin and Yang. I would have no form, yet at the same time I would not be able to die.** "

"That makes no sense to me at all," Naruto sweat dropped. "So what, are you saying you'll help me get stronger? Why? What made you change your mind?"

" **In that prison I knew no one would kill you, not while they were unable to crack the seal. So even while you were tortured, my existence was never in any real danger,** " the Kyuubi bared its teeth. " **But now that you are outside, in your current condition… you cannot defend yourself. And dying would be bothersome for me. Find a place to train without disturbances.** "

* * *

-Z-

* * *

"So, how is he?"

Temari barely suppressed her scowl, looking at the knowing smirk of her friend. The young woman had brown eyes with black pupils and sandy-brown hair. The latter was tied in a bushy ponytail with two strands of hair positioned on each side of her face and two braided strands. She wore a mesh armor body suit under a red tube dress with a blue purple belt, fingerless gloves, shin guards, and black shinobi sandals. One of the two small white fans she always carried with her was used to poke Temari against her shoulder.

"You're nosy, Sen," Temari gave her a flat look. "And how do you even know about this?"

"Hm… Yome-chan _might_ be amongst the people who are tasked with keeping an eye on him?" Sen mocked her friend with a face that was dripping with fake innocence. "Also, there's that itty bitty little rumor going that you are going to be engaged…"

Temari, speechless, just pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Oh, was that supposed to stay secret too?" the brown-haired kunoichi asked innocently. Sen hid her smile behind her small fur-edged fan, though just a fraction of a second too late.

"Very funny," Temari said sourly. "Oh well, that's one person off the list of guests for my wedding."

"…now that's totally uncalled for," Sen muttered after a moment of shocked silence.

"Don't worry. I'm sure Yome will tell you all about it. She seems to be good at blabbering things on to you."

"You're evil," Sen whined. "Come on, tell me already."

"She's quite nosy indeed," a young man came down the stairs. The blond wore black trunks and had his shirt unbuttoned, revealing a plethora of scars on his malnourished body. "She your friend?" he asked Temari.

"Yup, I knew her when I was younger. Recently she's been here a lot. She has a thing for Gaara," Temari smirked, ignoring the indignant outcry. "This is Sen. Sen, Naruto; Naruto, Sen," she gestured between the two.

"I don't have a crush on Gaara," Sen protested, though the fierce blush made her argument rather weak. "And it's not like I had much choice in our friendship, Temari, and you know it."

"'Friendship is for the weak' my father commanded," Temari agreed with a sigh. "Between that and my training regime…" she trailed off. "But with her being one of Gaara's fangirls, I at least got a friend back."

"I'm not a fangirl!"

"Good for him," Naruto smirked. "I have to admit that I never expected him to become the popular guy."

"Dropping his habit of killing everyone that comes within a six feet radius did miracles for his reputation," Temari deadpanned.

"Right," Naruto chuckled sheepishly. "Anyway, mind if I use the yard for some light training?"

"Go ahead," she frowned. "Don't overdo it, though, in your condition you shouldn't-"

"I know, I know. Don't worry, I'm not allowed to die just yet," he rolled with his eyes, leaving the kunoichi to their gossip.

"Eh… was that _him_?" Sen was a bit confused now. The number of people who came into Gaara's house was rather limited, and this young man just walked around like he lived there.

"Since you managed to wriggle your way through several things that were supposed to be kept secret, I might as well not bother to deny it."

"But he's so… scrawny," the brunette really didn't get it anymore. She knew perfectly well how Temari had caused a mess in the council by rejecting the previous marriage that had been proposed. And now she accepted it? "Why?"

"Orders," Temari rolled her eyes.

"Don't give me that. You didn't bother to give a damn about orders last time!"

"That situation was different."

"So… you love him?"

"Sen," Temari sighed deeply. "You know how this works. Just count yourself lucky that your grandmother hates the notion of arranged marriage. But the rest of us know what is expected of us. Emotions don't really play a part in it."

"You're dodging the question," Sen smirked. True, her grandmother was one of the retired shinobi who had been given a seat in the council, thus having some sway in the politics of their village. That's also how Sen usually got her scoops, though Temari knew very well that her gossip rarely reached the ears of anyone but her and their friend Yome.

"And you're nosy," the blonde shot back. "He's a good guy who has been through a lot of bad things, and I'm partially responsible for it all. And no, I'm not bothered by the scars and how scraggy he is. He'll fatten up soon enough, if he keeps eating like he does now."

"Oh, you're already spoiling him? This is more serious than you want to admit," Sen hid her smile behind her small fan, though the giggle was still enough to irk Temari.

* * *

-Z-

* * *

"Now what?"

" _ **Sit down, stay calm, and don't talk out loud. It makes you look like a fool,**_ " the Kyuubi berated his jinchuriki. " _ **You are no longer in the confines of your prison, and I'm sure that you are aware that you are being watched.**_ "

' _Of course I know,'_ Naruto shot back, mentally. Without bothering to do it with any sort of grace he flopped down on the ground. He'd get sand up his trunks, he knew, but sand itching in places where it did not belong was an inconvenience he would have to live with in this place. Much like the annual sneeze-fest in Konoha, every spring when one sort of tree started blossoming.

" _ **I told you to stay calm.**_ "

' _I am calm,_ ' Naruto scowled. The sensation of having a discussion against a voice inside his head never ceased to be weird.

" _ **Your muscles are all cramped, so you're not calm. Breathe slowly, listen to the rhythm of your heart, and ignore everything apart from that.**_ "

To any sane human being following the Kyuubi's guidance would seem like a suicidal choice. To Naruto, however, it was one of the few- if not the only- method of gaining some shred of power. He was not a fool, and realized very well that the Kyuubi's assessment was not far from the truth. Attempts to perform simple jutsu, such as the Henge no Jutsu, had shown him that his ability to perform ninjutsu was severely limited. Worse, the very act had caused him a pain he never expected to feel.

' _Wouldn't it be easier if they removed those ruddy seals first?'_

" _ **Of course, but do you honestly expect them to unshackle you?**_ _"_

" _I guess not…'_

" _ **Then stop whining about what could be, and focus on what is.**_ _"_

' _Said the fox who decided to help me out because he's afraid of what happens when he dies,'_ Naruto couldn't help but remark. Oddly, he had not doubted the fox in that regard. The concern the creature felt about dying was honest. Then again… while the fox at withholding information and misdirection, Naruto could not say he remembered the creature to outright lie to him, the Kyuubi was brutally honest and Naruto had no real reason to doubt him now.

" _ **Said the brat who tried to commit suicide only a few weeks ago,**_ " the fox retorted, though Naruto chuckled when he heard the annoyance in his voice. " _ **You've got nothing to lose, so just listen to what I tell you to do.**_ "

' _You're not helping me relax, though…'_

" _ **Suit yourself,**_ " was the sole warning Naruto got, before something began to burn in his stomach. That something grew in size, and then started moving up. Through his throat, out of his mouth, Naruto felt like he was vomiting oil that was set ablaze. Too busy with coughing and choking in the pain it had caused, it took some time before he realized that there was a single flame floating in front of him. " _ **If you had listened to me you would not have felt like that. Of course, you were never one to heed anyone's advice, always rushing in and finding yourself surrounded by a mountain of problems before you finally started thinking things through.**_ "

' _Yeah, I know, you smartass fox. What they heck did I just puke out?'_

" _ **Kitsunebi.**_ _"_

' _Kitsuwhatnow?'_ Naruto blinked, leaning forward to get a better look at the small flying orb of red-orange light.

" _ **Kitsunebi, or 'fox fire'. You humans have built plenty of legends around them.**_ _"_

' _Is that pride I hear in your voice?'_

" _ **In contrary to my brethren I remained undetected for generation after generation. So yes, of course I am proud. I am both the strongest and smartest of my kind.**_ _"_

' _Right,'_ Naruto thought, somehow managing to convey it in the same dry tone as in he would have spoken the word. ' _In spite of that, this little thing doesn't look all that impressive. What does it do? Blind my opponents?'_

" _ **Moronic bipedal,**_ _"_ the Kyuubi sneered. " _ **If you had not been such an illiterate fool, you might have understood it already. There are plenty of stories on it, even if no one ever figured out that it was directly related to me. Of course, I never-**_ _"_

The cold metal of a sword interrupted the Kyuubi's gloating. The momentary disorientation left Naruto completely open, not even seeing who had landed right in front of him.

"Release the jutsu."

Swallowing nervously, not in the least because the swordsman had scared the proverbial shit out of him, Naruto finally took a look at his assailant. An Anbu operative, judging by the getup and the veil in front of his face, with a blade that was blinking as if it had just been sharpened and polished.

"I commanded you to release your jutsu. Comply, or I will use lethal force."

"Listen, I-"

"Cancel that orb, you abomination!"

" _ **It would seem this ape knows who you are,**_ " the Kyuubi remarked dryly. " _ **With the orb still out, I can easily solve this. Try to limit the use of your chakra to the absolute minimum and calm your body as if you are about to sleep, that will make this as painless as possible.**_ _"_

' _Doesn't seem like I have much choice.'_

" _ **Then repeat after me: Magen: Kitsunebi."**_

"Magen: Kitsunebi (Demonic Illusion: Fox Fire)."

" _ **Tell the ape to leave you alone.**_ "

"Leave me alone."

Naruto blinked, releasing his breath when the Anbu for some reason withdrew his blade. The man's eyes were dull for a moment, and then he sheathed his blade. Completely ignoring Naruto, he then hopped onto the nearest roof, quickly creating distance between himself and the person he was ordered to watch- Naruto.

' _What the hell was that?'_

"What the hell was that?" the sound of her voice made Naruto jump from his seated position. "Naruto, what did you just do? Did you attack that Anbu?!"

"No? Eh… I don't think I did. Explain what the fuck I just did, Furball?" he asked the Kyuubi, though the two kunoichi only looked at him as if he had gone mad. Lunatics talked to themselves. And Gaara. Gaara had gone through his time when he had talked to 'mother', even when he was the only one hearing that voice.

" _ **Those with feeble minds, humans are easily distracted. The light of the Kitsunebi (Fox Fire) has a weak influence over those who look upon it. The most basic application of the jutsu is that its user becomes invisible to others. Well, not technically invisible, but rather… the target's senses do not process the one using the Kitsunebi.**_ "

' _So that's why you were boasting about how you remained hidden while the other bijuu were not?'_

" _ **Exactly**_."

"Furball?" Temari glared at Naruto. "Just what did I tell you about overdoing things?!"

"I know, I know," he put up both hands in the universal sign of surrender. The other girl- if he remembered it correctly her name was Sen- was standing next to Temari, giving him a suspicious look. "Can I trust her?" he nodded at her.

"Sen, leave."

"But-"

"I know I'm acting like a bitch, but please leave," Temari pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm getting such a headache out of this. Oh, and for the love of all that's holy, don't blabber about this, not even to Yome, okay?"

"Only if you keep me up to date with your little situation," Sen winked at her friend, before waving goodbye to both her friend and the strange boy who apparently was going to be her friend's fiancé. They had heard someone shout, and with Naruto outside Temari had immediately rushed to the yard. Only to see an Anbu move away from the boy, with a dull look in his eyes as if he had been hypnotized or something. As a kunoichi specializing in genjutsu, Sen was definitely very curious as to what Naruto had done. Though, she was even more curious about the entire secrecy surrounding him. Even her grandmother had been remarkably tightlipped.

With Sen out of the picture, and Naruto literally dragged back indoors, Temari returned her glare at him. "What is that?" she pointed at the floating orb that had followed him. "And what did you do to that Anbu?"

"The Kyuubi is worried about how weak I am. He doesn't want me to die, not until he can safely get out of the seal. Apparently dying along with me is a bad thing to him," he shrugged. He heard the fox groan something about him being a fool for telling the girl so much, but chose to ignore that. Whatever happened, he felt like Temari at the very least deserved to know the truth. "Outside the relative safety of jail, he considers me defenseless, so he taught me this," he poked the little orb of orange-red flames, which flickered for a moment when he touched it. "Kitsunebi, he called it."

"Kitsunebi?" Temari frowned. "Fox fire?"

"Apparently it was something well-known. He gloated quite a bit about it," Naruto admitted. "It has something to do with genjutsu, I guess, considering how it made that triggerhappy Anbu forget about my presence."

"That sounds… is it some sort of mind-control?" if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she would have doubted him. "How do you know the Kyuubi isn't using it against you?

"Uhh… fair question," he scratched his chin. "Kyuubi?"

" _ **I can't use it against you within the confines of your own soul. As our chakras are intertwined, I cannot affect you without affecting myself, which would defeat the entire purpose of the jutsu. Besides, if I could have done that, don't you think I would have used it a long time ago? It isn't used as casually as seems to you, you ungrateful brat.**_ "

"Apparently he can't use it against me while he's sealed within me."

"And you believe that?" her skepticism was understandable, considering how she had seen the Ichibi turn her sweet and innocent little brother into a homicidal maniac.

"I'm inclined to believe him, yes," Naruto smiled calmly. "Just consider it: he would've turned me into his puppet years ago, if he had been able to do so."

"Okay," she sighed wearily. "But before you pull more crazy stunts like this, can you please promise me two things?"

"Sure, as long as it's not too unreasonable."

"Don't start experimenting like that again. Not on your own. Have me, or otherwise Gaara, with you… as you could just see, you are being watched, Naruto."

"Okay, I'll warn you next time the Kyuubi wants to teach me anything," he nodded. "And the second promise you want me to make?"

"Please don't use such a jutsu against me," Temari hesitated. "I know that this marriage thing must be weird for you, and I bet you don't want it. But… I don't want to live a lie. Please don't do that to me."

"I promise that…" Naruto paused for a moment, thinking about the right words for it. "I promise I won't use these sorts of jutsu against you, or Gaara for that matter, unless it is for your own good. I mean, if a little lie could mean that you survive something that would otherwise get you killed, I'd be forced to break my word anyway."

"I won't say I'm perfectly happy with that, but I can understand," the kunoichi frowned. From everything she learned about him, she knew that he had his own nindo- to never go back on his word. That he blatantly stated that he'd be willing to break his promises for her wellbeing was a bit odd. In fact, that he trusted her by explaining everything about an ability he could just as well have kept hidden as a wildcard for his escape… "Why did you tell me all this?"

"You got me out of jail, right?"

"For three years you were wary of my every word, and now you suddenly… ugh, you really did give me a headache," she grumbled. "We'll go to the library tomorrow, see if we can find something on that Kitsunebi thing of yours."

* * *

 **Author's notes:**

* * *

After dropping that little bomb I knew I had to spend some effort at developing the relationship between Naruto and Temari. Or at least properly describing the current state of affairs. More will follow in the next chapter, but let's just say that I can't imagine Naruto, despite all that he's been through, to be a truly evil person. Also, I will explain more about the Kitsunebi thing next time. While this story was written in the span of a few days, the ideas revolving around kitsunebi were quite a bit older. In fact, I originally considered using the concept for my story 'The Honoured Guest', but ultimately decided against it as a combination of genjutsu and fuinjutsu would simply make Naruto overpowered. And OP characters are boring as hell. Take for instance the stories in which characters suddenly have multiple kekkei genkai... in all these years I've only encountered one story that managed to pull that off properly. ("Illimitable - The Child of the Sannin" by TwoChimpsWithoutOne)

* * *

 **-Ziltoid-**


	4. Myths

**Myths**

* * *

If the world was dark, and full of terrors, then the subconscious of the sleeping mind was worse. Rattling up old memories, creating nightmares out of long forgotten days, with the sort of sadism one never expected. Perhaps induced by fear, regret, or pain, he could never tell once he woke. All he knew that they were there, nearly every night. They could not grant him a peaceful sleep, just as mankind refused to allow him to live the waking part of his life in peace. How was one to go through this, night after night, and not end up hating the world? How was one supposed to retain one's sanity?

Even Uzumaki Naruto, feverishly balancing on the edge of consciousness, could not provide an answer to that question.

There had been flashes of memories, twisted and warped by a vile corner that hid deep in the darkest recesses of his mind. Children play all around him, cheering and laughing. They had fun. Parents watched them with content smiles on their faces, as they encouraged their offspring to continue… tearing up his flesh. The pain made the world shift and turn into another memory. A mountainside, with four faces carved out in it. Home. The smell of trees, the chirping of birds, the sounds of the lively village… it made him forget the pain. The anguish was momentarily overridden by nostalgia, until he heard the voices of his interrogators. Konoha never cared about him. The cold glares, the insults, the way he was locked out of society; they hated him. They rejoiced. He heard the sounds of festivity. They thought he had died…

Then it all burned. The sounds of cheer and happiness continued without pause, and yet smoke and ashes began to cloud his vision. All of a sudden he realized where he was. He realized why they were cheering. What they were burning. This was the view, _his_ view, from the window of his shoddy little apartment. This was the last remnant of him, the last thing that would make Konoha remember that he existed.

And they burned it.

With a gasp he woke, still feeling as if his flesh was sweltering. Pain was wrecking him, the moment he tried to move. He could have sworn that someone had replaced the blood in his veins with boiling acid.

"Naruto?" a voice came from his side. "Calm down, you shouldn't move just… hey, stop trashing around!"

He was restrained. Something was tied around his wrists, and it infuriated him. It had been such a good dream. Not the nightmare he just had, but the one before. The dream of freedom, of some forgotten sense of friendship and kindness. These restraints woke him from that dream. He was still… he was still in that hellhole of a prison, wasn't he? His eyes went wide, yet saw nothing. It only made him panic more.

Then something pierced the flesh of his neck, and all went dark again.

* * *

-Z-

* * *

"He has made quite a mess of himself."

Temari didn't give the man the satisfaction of reacting startled, even if her heart seemingly stopped for a moment when he spoke up. "Kazekage-sama."

"So cold… do you still hold it against me?" Rasa's eyes wandered over the book that was in his daughter's hands. A rather thick book titled 'Myths and Legends'. Why she had such a thing was beyond him, but he figured she just liked reading while waiting for her ward to recover. Of his three children she had always been the one who enjoyed accumulating knowledge the most.

"Define 'it'," she looked at the auburn-haired man. "Mother's death? Kankuro's fate as a hostage? Or the way you treated Naruto?"

"Hm, for the moment, let's suggest I meant the latter," the Kazekage could not say he enjoyed how his children had turned against him. Surely they would see the wisdom behind his actions in due time, but the fact that they hadn't done so up till now exposed a lot of his own failures during their upbringings.

Looking between the unconscious form of Naruto and her father, Temari sighed and decided to take the bait. "And what if I do? What if I do hold it against you?"

"Then I would repeat that it is a necessity. In spite of my ideals, the village comes first. And with the bounty being the Kyuubi, the creature that was rumored to be the strongest of the nine, how could I afford to pass up on the opportunity?" Rasa looked back, undeterred by his daughter's scowl. "That boy is fiercely loyal to his village, or at least he was when he first came here. He would never willingly join us, regardless of the ideas you and Gaara had. And in my position it was impossible to just let him walk out, letting this golden opportunity for Sunagakure to finally elevate itself just slip away."

"Power," she spat. "It's always the same argument."

"That is because power is the foundation of our system, Temari. The amount of power our village possesses determines our reputation. Our reputation is an essential factor when attracting clients. Clients, who provide the money, can make our village thrive. Our people need that money, more than any other hidden village, due to the environment we live in. We do not have the bountiful resources which Konoha has. And yet that village stole our missions."

"So you declared war."

"We were already at war, Temari," Rasa shook his head. "Even if it was not with arms, Konoha attacks us through economic means. They made the first move, cornering us. Do you think I _wanted_ to cooperate with that snake?"

"Then why give that man my brother, _your son_?" Temari urged. "Are we nothing but pawns to you? Pieces for you to move in your game of politics?"

"Mine? No, you are all shinobi of Sunagakure, just as much as me. Sadly, the burdens which the village asks of you and your brothers are greater than those of others your age, for the simple reason that you are my children. Do you think I wanted Kankuro to be sent to Otogakure? Do you think I wanted to lose my wife, because the village needed a jinchuriki?" Rasa paused for a moment, reigning in his growing temper, before he continued with a softer tone of voice. "Do you think I wanted you to end up with this brat?"

"It was my choice."

"Indeed, it was. That girl from Konoha could have been killed, and he could have stayed where he was, but you felt too much guilt… don't let your emotions get in the way of what you need to do, my daughter. I protected you once, but the council will not be pleased if this experiment ends in failure. The future of our village depends on your success. Will we remain the weakest of the five, or will we finally grow to be more?" Rasa gestured at the sweaty-looking boy. "The beast that was sealed within him is the key. We cannot get it out, and even if we could it would be unlikely that we could successfully seal it into a new jinchuriki. So he will need to be loyal to our cause. To willingly fight at our side."

"And the council just happens to think that I can undo three years of the harsh treatment that was given to him," Temari's voice was cold as the nights in the deep desert. "All it took was a small jutsu, and his body suffers this degree of chakra exhaustion. Those seals need to be gone."

"Take him to the Gokyodai (Honored Siblings)," Rasa conceded. "But he remains your responsibility. His nightmares make me doubt his mental stability. If he becomes too dangerous for the village, you will leave me no other option but to cancel your mission, Temari," he gave her one last look before leaving the room in a swirl of gold dust.

"Why do you bother to hide behind the village, when you're only doing this for yourself?" Temari muttered bitterly, though she knew that the man would not hear her words. ' _Everyone knows that Orochimaru only used us, and yet he refuses to tell us why he had no other option than to send Kankuro to Otogakure.'_

Looking at the fragile form of the sixteen year old boy whom she was expected to make her husband, Temari wondered if it wasn't better if she just took him and fled from the village. He did not deserve this, to be reduced to a weapon, to have this life forced upon him. Even in love, people would rob him of the chance to find his own way. ' _It seems that with every decision we make, Naruto's life only becomes worse.'_

The bitter truth, however, was that as long as Haruno Sakura resided in Suna's dungeons, Naruto would never willingly leave. Forcing him to leave would only harm him. That girl was his old teammate, one of his 'precious people'. Those 'precious people' had been a reason why he, a practically untrained jinchuriki, had been able to withstand the brunt of Gaara's insanity and survive. No, he did not just withstand or survive it… he had defeated it. He had made Gaara sane again. And what did he get in return?

It had been painful for her to watch how he suffered from his nightmares. How damaged he was, underneath that smiling façade. He worried about her, and tried to act like he was okay, but after three years of such treatment no one could really be fine. No one would get out of that without any scars- both mentally and physically.

She sighed and grabbed the book again. At least he was resting now, calmly. Not like before, when he had been thrashing around in such a way that she had been forced to use several belts in order to tie him down. His body needed rest, it needed to recover. And with the refusal of her father to let Naruto recover in the hospital, as it was feared that he might pose a threat to other patients, Temari had had no choice but to nurse him in Gaara's house. Her house, as neither of the siblings had been willing to continue living in the house where the man who sold off their brother lived.

' _No, it's our house now. Naruto's too. And perhaps, in time, I can make it a home for him,'_ Temari wondered. Though, it was not a small amount of doubt that clouded her thoughts.

* * *

-Z-

* * *

Hours passed, though for him it was merely the next moment. The injection in his neck only just happened, and the dreamless black void in which his mind had lingered had left no memories behind. While he felt weak, the odd thing was that he felt rested. Relaxed, even. If his half-conscious mind had taken the time to think about it he would have realized that this peculiar sense of tranquility was induced by whatever had been injected into his bloodstream.

Sluggishly he opened his eyes, only meeting a dimly lit room. Artificial light, unfortunately. Light he had come to detest. But, it was not bright, so his instincts told him that it was safe. Much to his surprise he could move his arms, even when he was pretty sure that he remembered his arms being bound. His movements stirred the quilt that kept him warm, an item necessary in the cold nights amidst this desert, and elicited a stifled gasp or mumble. He couldn't really distinguish what the sound was.

It took him the better half of a minute to adjust his eyes to the light, time he also needed to chase out the lingering fog of sleep that had kept clouding his mind.

' _Huh, I'm back in my room?'_ he recognized the place. This was the room Temari and Gaara had given him. Not particularly big, but it was more than spacious enough after three years in prison. The soft bed was nothing like the unyielding old mattress he had in that time, and compared to the lumpy thing he had stolen from a trash heap in Konoha he had felt like he had ascended to heaven itself. Of course, a gilded cage was still a cage, but no one said he couldn't enjoy the 'gilded' part.

For a moment he contemplated whether or not to allow his body to sink back into the sleep it yearned for, but a soft snore-like noise drew his attention to the side of his bed.

In a chair, with a leather-bound book still in her hands, was the woman who guarded him. And freed him. Or… ' _whatever,'_ he frowned. ' _I should probably give up trying to define her as either an ally or a guard, as she admitted being both. Not to mention the mission she was given, which she personally screwed up by being honest about it.'_

Seeing Temari asleep gave him mixed emotions. She was supposed to seduce him, to lure him into a marriage that would permanently tie him to her village. The implicit threat of refusing such a course of action was that Sakura would suffer, and he most likely ended up getting thrown back in jail.

Their bond should have been one of logic. For her it was a long-term mission for her village, ensuring the loyalty of the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi. For him it was a matter of picking the path with the least amount of casualties. Emotion should not even play a role in this. At least, not after she revealed her mission. And yet, here she was, sitting next to his bed, waiting for him to recover from whatever it was that had brought him down.

' _Thinking about it, how did I end up here? The last thing I remember was doing that Kitsunebi thing which that bloody Kyuubi taught me, and then Temari and I had a conversation. After that… nothing. Aside from the usual nightmares, of course.'_

Most shinobi would immediately consider chakra exhaustion, having encountered that issue plenty of times while honing their skills. For Naruto, on the other hand, it was something foreign. He did consider it, though. He had seen it happen to Kakashi, but the closest thing to chakra exhaustion he personally experienced was the time when Jiraiya of the Sannin had trained him for days, until he could not even stand straight. He felt exhausted, yes, but the exact reason of why he felt like that was unknown to him.

But after three years in which he had not performed a single jutsu, a time in which his body had weakened significantly, spitting out a condensed orb of mind-altering chakra had not been the wisest of moves. And then there was the point that the chakra of the Kyuubi wasn't exactly the most healthy one for humans to begin with, so…

' _Meh, I'm no medic so why bother figuring this out. Now… why is she here?'_ Naruto decided to focus his mind on Temari, rather than letting it wander off to topics unrelated to his current situation. ' _If she was tired she could just as well have chosen to rest in her own room. It's not like I'm dying of a little exhaustion. At least, if it was just that. Hm, her being her might point out that it was something more severe…'_ Naruto paused for a moment, before direction his thoughts towards his 'tenant'. ' _Oi, Fox, you didn't try to kill me, did you?'_

" _ **No.**_ _"_

' _Then why am I such a wreck right now?'_

" _ **Because, you were too stupid to listen to me. Now, let me sleep. I'm not interested in your prattling.**_ _"_

The way the Kyuubi spoke was unusually harsh, making the jinchuriki frown. The creature didn't try to kill him, as it did not suit his needs, but apparently that did not mean the Kyuubi wasn't willing to cause any damage. Again, Naruto found himself distracted from the topic he tried to focus on: Temari's presence.

' _It would have been easier if she had lied to me, if she tried to deceive me. Because if all she said to me is the truth, me escaping from Suna will be impossible. Yeah, it would be much less of a mess if she lied,'_ Naruto looked at the blonde, and knew that his hopes were in vein. She looked tired, yet with her mouth slightly open- drooling a little bit from one corner of her mouth- she seemed so different.

He knew she was a tough one, a true kunoichi who could kill someone without blinking an eye; a hard ass. While Naruto respected his classmates, the honest part of his mind, the part not clouded by ideas of friendship and the like, told him that Temari was fundamentally different from Sakura, Ino, or Hinata. They were more girlish, softer. Weaker. The first two were more obsessed with their looks, and boys, than their profession. The latter… well, Naruto never really had understood Hinata's behavior, even if he did think that her actions during the Chunin Exams showed that she had far more courage and willpower than anyone would have thought. The point remained that those three seemed far less fixated on their role as trained killers. In fact, now that he thought about it, Naruto realized that he too had grown up with a foolish notion that being a shinobi was some kind of great adventure.

Naivety was what separated them.

' _And yet that tough woman can look so cute and innocent,'_ he froze. ' _Cute? No, I shouldn't think that way. That only overcomplicates everything. I should focus on getting stronger. On finding a way to break Sakura out of jail, and escape… but… why would I go back to Konoha? What would be there for me? More hatred? More loneliness?'_

As he lay there, pondering on whether or not he should continue his original plan, Naruto slowly felt the effects of the sedative vanish. His body hurt like hell, though it wasn't as bad as it was when he first woke up. In spite of himself he felt rather relieved that he no longer felt as if his blood was boiling.

He thought of the old Naruto, before his imprisonment, and considered what that boy would do. Probably launch some kind of foolhearted assault, which would somehow succeed through some random stroke of luck, or he'd succeed because he somehow managed to sway his enemy's heart. But after everything that happened, he could not help but start thinking on the consequences of his actions. The truth was that life was not the stupid fairy tale that he had once thought it to be.

Living in this illusion of freedom, at Temari's side, most definitely was a better life than that in his little room down the dungeon. As long as he complied he also ensured the safety of Sakura, who had tried to liberate him. All that would be put at risk if he tried to escape. Sakura might die- or worse- and he would be thrown back in jail, if he failed. And Temari… ' _Would they punish her by shoving her into another marriage?'_ Naruto looked at the sleeping blonde. ' _One mistake, that's all it will take. And then I would ruin three lives. Not that I particularly care about my own, but I can't selfishly sacrifice others just because I'm unwilling to stay here.'_

Which brought him back to his original question: why would he go back to Konoha? There were only a few who had cared about him, a few whom he wanted to see again. The old Sandaime had died during the invasion, and there was an argument to be made that the old man had been at least partially responsible for the way Naruto had been treated throughout his childhood. There was the Ichiraku family, father and daughter, who had always provided him with their heavenly ramen- even when he could not always afford it. While they were two of the rare positives in his life, Naruto wondered whether they were worth the risk. He hadn't been _that_ close to them, after all. Much like his team. Hatake Kakashi had mostly ignored his duties as a sensei, providing some support with regard to teamwork but otherwise remaining rather passive. Sasuke? Every interrogator had asked Naruto about his friendship with the Uchiha, and in the end Naruto wondered if it had even been friendship. It had been utterly one-sided, more out of a desperate desire to find someone, anyone, who could understand him. Who could comprehend the pain and anger he hid inside.

His classmates, or Konohamaru and his merry bunch of rampaging kids, they only knew the part of him that Naruto chose to show. They wouldn't understand, not really. That left one person. Umino Iruka had been more of an older brother type to him than a teacher, and one of the few who had truly accepted Naruto. He had suffered loss due to the Kyuubi, yet had managed to look past that pain and anger, and see the true nature of his most rebellious and impetuous student. ' _Heh, Iruka-sensei would be the first person whom would bop me on the head and tell me to think things through before acting rashly. He'd worry about me, if he knew I was still alive, and yet I know that he would tell me to stay put.'_

Yes, staying was the wiser course of action. Patience was a virtue. Perhaps there would be a chance to escape in due time, and if not… well, the Kazekage had promised to give him more leeway if he had proven himself trustworthy. And with the tensions between Gaara and the Kazekage, Naruto wondered how long it would take for his fellow jinchuriki to take his father's position.

' _His words seem honest, and his actions speak in his favor. I'm inclined to believe him. After all, in this entire world there are only eight others who'd know what my life would be. I don't know the others, but Gaara… he knows. He understands. Yes, I should give him a chance. Even if it is foolish, I'd rather believe in someone again than to stay alone.'_

Looking at the woman next to him, Naruto considered that his fate could definitely be worse. This was too elaborate to be an act, so… why not? Why not give her a chance? If she did not love him, he would not make any move on her. But if she did… they had time.

' _And whatever marriage contract we have, Gaara would be able to annul it if he becomes Kazekage, right?'_ Naruto smiled when he looked at Temari. He had been convinced that if she was indifferent about him, and yet: she would not be here if she saw him merely as a mission or a tool. ' _It almost makes me reconsider. Here she is. Awkwardly sleeping in a chair, waiting for me to wake up. Hell, judging by all the medical stuff on the table next to her she's been nursing me back to health as well.'_

With a sigh, Naruto realized that waking her would be the best thing to do. Once she knew he was fine, she could take a proper rest, in her own bed. Rasping his dry throat, he softly spoke up: "Temari."

She shifted a bit in her sleep, but was too deeply asleep to immediately wake up. Unable to properly move- his limbs felt like they weighed a thousand pounds each- he instead coughed. It was the loudest sound he thought he could make while his voice was being crappy.

"Hm… huh? Naruto?" she blinked. "You're awake?"

"Seems like it," he raised one eyebrow, mildly amused that the usually sharp girl had to state the obvious in such a way. "I'm fine, just get some rest. You'd be all sore if you keep sleeping in that chair like that."

"But…"

"What?"

"How do you feel?"

"Like crap, but that'll be fine after I sleep a bit."

"You've been sleeping for four days," Temari frowned. "So excuse me if I don't accept that. How do you feel? Can you move your arms? Your legs?"

"Four days?" Naruto blinked in surprise. He couldn't recall that he had ever needed this much time to recover from anything. "Eh, yeah, I can move everything. I'm rather sluggish, though, but I'm fine," he wiggled his toes and moved his arms to demonstrate. "Four days… I guess that explains the bags under your eyes. And here I thought you were starting to look more similar to Gaara."

"Smartass."

"I aim to please."

"I'm more inclined to say that you aim to kill yourself," she scoffed. "That Kitsunebi thing was foolish, Naruto."

"I know, I know."

"I doubt whether you really do."

Naruto shrank back in his bed after receiving a withering glare. Obviously Temari had fully woken up now, and would not be trifled with. Not this early in the morning. Or late in the night, Naruto couldn't tell the time. The fact he had gathered was that it was currently dark outside.

"We didn't try to get you out of jail only for you to end up letting your own stupidity get the better of you. And _don't_ argue against that. You were the one who thought that listening to the bloody Kyuubi was a good idea, so you've got no right saying that you aren't stupid."

"Wow, you're actually mad."

"Of course I'm mad!" Temari snarled, jumping up and now towering over him as if she was ready to clobber him back to the land of dreams with her own fists. "I've just spent four days worrying about whether or not you'd even survive this! Hell, the medics said that anyone who isn't a jinchuriki would have died for sure, that's how much you screwed up, so of course I'm angry- what the hell did you expect?!"

"For you not to give a damn about me," Naruto gave her a wry smile, partly intimidated and partly grateful for her verbally lashing out against him. Whether it had been his words or his expression, she actually paused for a moment, unable to rebuke, opening and closing her mouth repeatedly like a fish on dry land. "So what did you learn," he nodded at the book she had just thrown to the side.

"Don't think I'm letting you off the hook this easily," she muttered darkly while picking up the book she had borrowed from the library. "Here," she flipped through the pages and gave him the book. On the right page he saw the kanji for 'legends of the Kitsune, and their duty to Inari.' Temari, however, pointed at the left page, where the text continued:

 _Sometimes, during night or twilight, small floating orbs of red-orange light can be seen. We may call these ghostly lights 'will-o'-the-wisp'._ _Often seen over bogs, these flickering lamps are said to recede if approached. According to legend these flames are created by the magical kitsune, although scholars prefer scientific explanations for the phenomenon._

 _The 'Kitsunebi', or fox-fire, often appear in longs chains of hundreds or thousands of meters in length, making it seem as if there were lanterns being carried by a creature that could not be perceived by the mortal eye- the kitsune. These lights are known as the 'kitsune no choochin', or 'lanterns of the foxes', and lure and confuse the unlucky souls who lay eyes upon them, often to their doom. As such, seeing the Kitsunebi is not considered to be a good sign, and many locals who claim to know people who have seen these lights also report that those witnesses show peculiar behavior and if they do not vanish completely, they perish soon._

 _Perhaps that is why the peasants also refer to the Kitsunebi as the 'Onibi', or Devil's fire._

"Devil's Fire, huh? That doesn't sound ominous at all," Naruto deadpanned. "How much of this is true, you think? This sounds quite speculative to me."

"As far as I can tell there are various sources, some dating back centuries, and they're rather consistent. There are claims that entire villages disappeared, and during the Warring States Era…"

"Yes?"

"During that era there was a ruler in the country that later became Kaze no Kuni," Temari continued, though somewhat hesitant. "The records showed that the Ichibi was sighted, and that this ruler hired a shinobi clan in an attempt to stop the One-Tail from continuing its rampage. While the Ichibi completely disappeared for several years, and it was assumed to have somehow died at that time, the clan that had been hired also mysteriously vanished. The only reason why this came up when I sought through the references of a paper on kitsune was because there was one single survivor of that clan… and that man claimed that there had been hundreds of floating orbs of light in the desert."

" _ **Ah yes, beating up Shukaku never ceases to be entertaining, no matter how often I do it,**_ " the Kyuubi commented, startling Naruto with the sudden intrusion.

"S-so that was you?" Naruto asked, though all he got in return was a snort and the distinct feeling that their connection was shut off. "Sorry, the Kyuubi just spoke up," he explained when he saw Temari's look.

"I gathered as much. What did he say?"

"He confirmed it, saying that he had fun beating up the Ichibi," Naruto tried to shrug, out of a force of habit, and grimaced when his body reminded him that it was still in a state of ruin. "I guess it's a skill that gets more powerful when there are more orbs."

"And here you are, stuck to a bed after spending four days on the edge of the Shinigami's doorstep due to _one_ such orb," Temari said dryly. "Get some rest. Once you're able we're going to see one of our village's elders, who can help you with those limiters. As long as you are held back with this seals it's no use theorizing on what you can possibly do with this stuff."

* * *

-Z-

* * *

"These were the Anbu you sent ahead, Gaara-sama."

"Yes."

"You're not surprised."

"No," Gaara remained expressionless, his gaze aimed to the north. "Yome-san?"

"There are tracks that lead west, but they stop after a few hundred feet. A decoy," the small kunoichi remarked. Yome was part of the Anbu, officially, but in Gaara's presence she could reveal her face. He knew her anyway, through Temari. Besides, her small stature made the disguise rather redundant anyway- when Kankuro was around he used to call her 'midget', much to her annoyance.

The girl had brown hair tied in two ponytails that curl the further it reached the ends. She had peculiar orange eyes with black pupils, wore sleeveless mesh armor under a tan overall top with grey elbow protectors, and light blue shorts with purple leg warmers and black shinobi sandals. Apart from her height and her curling ponytails, Yome was known for the two blushes on each side of her face. Blushes which usually intensified when she looked at the third member of their team.

"Why does it feel like you intended for this to happen, Gaara-sama?" Shira asked. While not even an official shinobi, due to his inability to perform any sort of ninjutsu, Gaara had asked the tall young man to join him on this mission. While the Kazekage had frowned upon that decision, the man had not spoken against it. Not that Gaara would have cared much, as he considered Shira to be highly competent. In many ways the young man reminded him of an opponent he had faced in his Chunin Exams, a taijutsu specialist who had gotten very close to hurting him.

Shira was a fairly tall young man with a rather fit physique. He had light skin, and spiky taupe grey hair, combed backwards except for two bangs. He had a number of scars on both body and face, which made him appear older than he actually was, including one running vertically across his throat, and he also had a tattoo on his right shoulder. His attire consisted of a long sleeveless, dark green shirt which he tied with a light green sash, grey pants and black arm braces.

"Shira-san," Yome warned, worried that the blunt remark might offend their superior.

"I brought you two because I trust you," Gaara eyed the kunoichi. "I'm not bothered when you speak your mind. In fact, I find it enjoyable if you do."

"R-right."

"And yes, Shira, I did use my father's men to flush our targets out of these ruins. This location suited them, and they did very well to hide here and evade their hunters."

"It's a risky move, though," Shira frowned. "They were trapped here, surrounded in hostile territory."

"They were prepared to fight superior numbers, thus limiting mobility works in their favor rather than in that of my father's men. Besides, I know them. They specialize in tracking and trapping their enemies."

"And now?"

"Now we continue north. In an hour the sun will rise, giving Yome the opportunity to use her dojutsu," Gaara remarked. With her eyesight enhanced by the small droplets of water that could be found during the dew of the morning, when the cold desert night transitioned into the scorching temperatures of day, Gaara knew that Yome would be perfectly able to watch their targets' movements. There was only a small timeframe for when she could use her ability effectively, but Gaara had taken that into account when he had sent out their escorts into the sandy ruins of an old watchtower.

They moved as Gaara intended, and after a while Yome did indeed get their target in sight. Three enemy shinobi, running between the dunes in an attempt to use what little advantage their terrain could offer. The kunoichi of the three stopped for a moment, activating a dojutsu of her own, and turned to her allies.

"They're picking up the pace," Yome reported. "The Aburame seems to have an injured leg, though, and that is slowing them down. Should we not move to intercept?" she looked at Gaara, puzzled by his decisions during this mission.

It had been over a week now that these three Konoha nin had tried to infiltrate Sunagakure, with a fourth member ending up getting caught. The Kazekage had sent out Anbu to track the escaped spies down, but none of them had been successful. That was why the man had reluctantly requested Gaara to take the task upon him, as there was not a single shinobi who could escape from the jinchuriki in the desert. He had taken Shira and her along, as well as a trio of Anbu which the Kazekage had assigned to him. The latter three had all perished, two at the hands of their enemies and one because he had questioned Gaara's authority. This in itself was strange enough, as Yome knew very well that Gaara's bloodthirsty days were over, but there was also the fact that he seemed to stall them even when this mission was quite important.

"Negative."

"Are you letting them escape?" Shira frowned, just as confused as the kunoichi.

"Yes," Gaara said calmly, ignoring the sounds of protest. "Though they will not reach Konoha."

"What?"

Once again the jinchuriki ignored the two, and set out to chase the Konoha team. Him being a jonin, neither Yome nor Shira- who didn't even have a rank, as he was seen as civilian- could argue against him. And… they trusted Gaara's judgment, no matter how strange it seemed.

After nearly an hour, Gaara suddenly picked up the speed, rapidly catching up with their targets. Now utterly confused, unable to tell why he had seemed to change his mind, Yome and Shira followed their silent superior.

"Intercept, but do not kill," Gaara suddenly spoke up. "Shira, you target the Inuzuka. Yome, you stall the Hyuga, but be careful not to get within her reach."

"As you command."

"Why?" Unlike Yome, Shira did not blindly accept the orders, one of the reasons why Gaara trusted him.

"A third party is approaching."

Vanishing in a cloud of sand, Gaara instantly cut off the three Konoha nin. They moved back, already knowing who it was that was hunting them, well aware that they were outmatched. But the fact that they refused to surrender without a fight was something that convinced Gaara that his decision was the right one.

"Kiba, we should engage," the Aburame spoke calmly despite the way he was sweating from both the exertion and his leg injury. "Why? Because one of us needs to return to Konoha, and Hinata is the most suited to accomplish our task."

"Right," the Inuzuka, Kiba, glared at Gaara. "You heard him, Hinata, we'll cover for-"

"It seems that is not possible," Gaara gave them a small smile when Yome and Shira appeared on their flanks. "You are surrounded and outmatched, the wise move would be to surrender yourselves."

"Like hell we will!" Kiba snarled. The white hound at his side barked its assent, while the Hyuga- Hinata, Gaara remembered how Naruto had called her- activated her dojutsu.

"Why would you fight when the odds are stacked in such a way that you cannot hope to win?" Gaara pressured.

"Because the lives of our comrades depend on our success," the Aburame released a cloud of insects from his sleeves. "Konoha must learn that you have kept Naruto-san imprisoned ever since the invasion."

"So you would fight for Naruto's sake?"

"Of course we would," the determined voice of Hinata rang through the desert.

"I hoped you would say such a thing," Gaara turned around, looking calmly into the angry eyes of a tall white-haired, one-armed man. "Welcome to Kaze no Kuni, Jiraiya of the Sannin."

* * *

 **Author's notes:**

* * *

In the part where Temari and Naruto read on the Kitsunebi, I took into account that they're reading form right to left, hence the story beginning on the right page. As we're pretending this entire universe to speak and write Japanese, I considered this to be more consistent.

Some addition information: while I rewrote it so that it fit better in the chapter, the information Temari gathered on 'kitsunebi', 'kitsune no choochin', and 'onibi' was not made up by me. It's based on actual Japanese mythology. Considering how Kishimoto himself based many of his concepts on mythology or religious lore, I always find it entertaining to attempt doing the same thing when messing around with original jutsu. I did the same sort of thing for my story 'Asunder', where Naruto uses a different Kan'on than Hashirama's Senju Kan'on. For this story… well, as you can see even the title was based on the Kitsunebi. Though I obviously 'translate' such material so that it can be used in the context of the Naruto universe, else things wouldn't make sense. For one, the Kyuubi is supposedly both 'demonic' and a kitsune, hence my decision to mash the concepts of 'kitsunebi' and 'onibi' together- even if that isn't correct according to the source material. That decision also led to using the 'magen' (=Demonic Illusion) label along with the jutsu.

Oh, and the character trait that Kurama _usually_ keeps his promises is also something I borrowed from mythology.

And once I again I must thank **Fuyuriku** for locating my typos!

* * *

 **-Ziltoid-**


	5. Nukenin

**Nukenin**

* * *

"Welcome to Kaze no Kuni, Jiraiya of the Sannin,"

Gaara did not even bother to move, sand rose up automatically to block the incoming stream of oil. It was not as if he hadn't felt the toad hiding out there. With one flick of his fingers a cloud of sand enveloped the oil-spitting toad, using the sand to force it to return from whence it came or risk certain death. In that split-second it took to remove the toad from the playing field, Jiraiya had gone through the necessary hand seals to perform a katon jutsu, although he was slower than before he lost his arm, and fire ignited the oil-drenched sand that surrounded Gaara.

The white-haired man grimaced when he felt Gaara just simply slip away, making the entire inferno an unnecessary show.

"An interesting combination of jutsu," Gaara remarked stoically, reappearing not too far from the Sannin. The jinchuriki's expression shifted to that of mild amusement. "I see you chose not to immediately continue your attack. Can I assume that this is a positive sign?"

Aside from Gaara himself, no one seemed to understand their situation anymore. His allies, Shura and Yome, looked at him, waiting for the sign to attack, while his enemies, Team Eight from Konoha, were preparing to defend themselves with everything they had. Yet, instead of continuing the fight they all just stood there, in the middle of the desert under the scorching sun, waiting for Jiraiya to answer Gaara's question.

"What kind of game are you playing, kid?" Jiraiya asked bluntly, anger only barely veiled in his gruff voice. He knew very well that Gaara was only toying with him up till now.

"The fate of a friend is no game to me."

"Don't give me that shit. Do you think I forgot what you did during the invasion? You were barely sane, a bomb that was just waiting to explode. So don't try to fool me… what are you up to?"

"I was indeed not very sociable, but people can change. Naruto taught me that. Unfortunately my father rather clung to his old beliefs than consider the fact that I changed. Worse, he would not acknowledge Naruto as the one who set that change in motion," Gaara droned. "Thus we have come to this point. I wonder whether or not you are able to believe this, but I too want to liberate Naruto. I want to correct the mistake I made. It was my lapse of judgment, my fear of Orochimaru taking him like he had taken the Uchiha, that caused me to take Naruto to Suna instead of leaving him behind in that forest outside Konoha."

"You're not even blinking," Jiraiya frowned. "When I got your message I thought it was all some kind of elaborate attempt to lure me into a trap."

"It is not."

"Hm, I only started to consider that the moment I noticed you weren't attacking those kids. Hell, you didn't even try to kill Gamakichi, deliberately moving your sands slow enough for him to escape," Jiraiya's frown deepened. "If my sources are correct, there isn't much that you can't kill out here in this desert. And if you were merely playing with your prey, you would not have acted like this. You never were that patient when you aimed for someone's blood…"

"True," Gaara nodded with the same infuriating calmness, though he now looked in a different direction. "It seems you were not willing to gamble your life on that assumption."

"Of course I'm a Kage Bunshin, what did you expect?" Jiraiya huffed, as if Gaara insulted him in some way. "So, kid, what's your agenda? And while we talk, why not let those kids go?"

"Unlike my father I do not need hostages. Not when you stand in the same desert as I am," Gaara gestured to Yome and Shira to let the three Konoha nin go. "Understand, however, that I will chase you if you attempt to trick me. And if that becomes necessary I will no longer be as lenient as I am now."

"Fair enough," the clone of Jiraiya nodded. "So what's your story?"

"As I said: I want to free Uzumaki Naruto. But for that to happen, I will need to outmaneuver my father, the Kazekage, as well as the majority of my village's council. To them, Naruto is just a weapon which they could exploit in order to make Sunagakure stronger than its competitors. The old generation keeps falling back to the old grudges, and they see Naruto as a chance to strike back at their old enemies. As you can see," Gaara gestured at his two allies, "not all agree with that prospect on new war. Especially the younger generation of our village desires a change in our way of life."

"In short, you intend to take the position of Godaime Kazekage," Jiraiya guessed. "But you lack the support to allow for a smooth transition of power."

"While I am stronger than the current Kazekage in terms of combat ability, any action taken against him would still bring a large risk of civil war. Many still fear me, remembering me for the things I have done when I was younger. However, I no longer have any desire for such pointless bloodshed, thus I seek different ways to change my village. The capture of Haruno Sakura is, in that contrast, both a blessing and a curse. It enabled me to get Naruto out of the prison in which he was held, but with her as a hostage he cannot leave the village either."

"…and you can't break the girl out yourself, or you'd potentially trigger a civil war," Jiraiya mused.

"Correct. This forces me to seek help from the outside, though the problem is that Konoha has no interest in retrieving Haruno-san, and seems to ignore that Naruto is held in our village. At least, I cannot imagine that the Hokage truly does not know."

"Konoha is in no position to trigger a war, kiddo. That invasion three years ago struck deep wounds in our forces, and with Suna reclaiming its share of missions the economic situation has not exactly been perfect either. With Iwa always at our throat and Kumo hoarding power, the Hokage seems to think that an alliance with Sunagakure would be more useful to his village than a single jinchuriki. Besides, after three years there is no guarantee that Naruto's physical and mental condition is good enough to risk such an undertaking," Jiraiya added that last sentence bitterly.

"You speak about 'your' village, yet from what I heard-"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm all but officially a nukenin," the Toad Sage scowled. "Unlike those four kids who were stupid enough to go on this clandestine mission, I still have enough influence for Danzo not to risk an open confrontation. Not that he can be blamed for not trying to goad me."

"So they," Gaara nodded in the direction in which Team Eight had headed, "are branded as nukenin."

"I'm afraid so," Jiraiya sighed. Things could have been so much easier if Tsunade had agreed to take the position, but alas. "Don't worry, though, I'll make sure they stay safe. I've got a few more friends who needed shelter from the Godaime Hokage, so they're not alone."

"And Haruno-san?" Gaara queried.

"I'll… I'll see what I can do. I won't lie; it's not easy to pull that one off without creating a giant mess. We both know how tense things are. And that's not even the worst threat the world is about to face… have you ever heard of an organization called Akatsuki?"

* * *

-Z-

* * *

Her heart felt as if it tried to beat itself out of her chest, and she could feel the blood surging through her head- tension. Fear, as if she had landed in a nightmare, one where she had to run and run while never managing to escape from the demon that chased her. For three years she had been told that Uzumaki Naruto had died, and that this person had been responsible for his demise. Yes, she even had suffered nightmares where she kept imagining how Sabaku no Gaara crushed Naruto, just like how she had seen Gaara crush those shinobi from Amegakure during the second part of the Chunin Exams. A mass of sand enveloping him, lifting him from the ground, and then crushing him so fast that his blood would explode over the area.

Using the information Sakura had 'borrowed' from the office of the Hokage, her team had managed to locate Suna's prison. She, using her byakugan, had seen _him_. The boy she had thought dead, he had been alive. He was weakened severely, with only a marginal reserve of chakra- which he could not even access if the amount of seals over his body were any indication. It worried her how weak he had seemed, and yet she felt elated by the simple fact that he was still alive.

But all good things seemed destined to be followed by bad ones. Despite learning that Uzumaki Naruto lived, her team and Sakura had not been able to do anything more, as they had been detected. They had been chased, nearly caught, and Sakura had stayed behind to give a chance to escape. Sakura had said that this clandestine mission had been her initiative, and that she alone should burden the responsibility of failure.

Returning to Konoha was, even if only one of the four of them made it, the most important aspect of their mission. Konoha had to know that Naruto was still alive, that he was held captive by a village they now tried to ally themselves with.

For days they had gone through a cat-and-mouse game with the numerous shinobi from Sunagakure. The mere usage of her dojutsu alone had been enough to exhaust her, and somehow Hinata had managed to survive the battles as well. She considered it to be sheer dumb luck, being too humble to consider that it was her skill and valor that had pulled her through.

Just when they thought they had dealt with the last of their trackers, Sabaku no Gaara had showed up on her horizon. In the middle of the desert he was not an opponent they could even remotely hope to defeat in battle, thus fleeing had been the only viable strategy. Not that they had been successful at that, as Gaara had only turned out to have been playing with them.

And yet they still lived. Hinata couldn't say why Gaara had let them go, couldn't believe that he had really just said that he considered himself to be a friend of Naruto, that he tried to free him as well. The mere notion seemed too absurd for her to actually be real.

Running through the sands, heading in the direction Gaara had indicated Jiraiya to be, Hinata wondered what was truly going on. She had heard from Kurenai, her sensei, that Jiraiya had been teaching Naruto. Sakura herself had confirmed that Naruto had summoned toads, showing that Naruto had signed that summoning contract. Still, after the invasion, after Danzo had taken the position as Godaime Hokage, Jiraiya had barely been seen or heard of. So why did he show up here, out of all places? Why now?

"It would seem we have involved ourselves in something far beyond our ability to deal with," Shino suddenly spoke up, apparently having gone through a similar train of thought as she had. "Why? Jiraiya of the Sannin is no supporter of our Hokage. Sabaku no Gaara is no fan of the sitting Kazekage. And Naruto is caught in between."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I implied, Kiba, that our Hokage is aware of Naruto."

"Say what?!"

"Gaara seems to have approached Jiraiya-sama first, indicating that he is seeking allies for his endeavor. Who do you think would be the first party Gaara would approach if he wishes to aid Naruto, even when this is against the wishes of the Kazekage?" Shino looked at Kiba while they ran. "We all know that there are negotiations for a new alliance, as Iwagakure and Kumogakure pose too much of a threat to allow the grudge between our villages to fester."

"Shino-kun is right, Kiba-kun," Hinata nodded. "Hokage-sama would want Naruto-kun to return to our village. As much as I hate it how jinchuriki are treated, the clans and the council would consider Naruto-kun to be a powerful weapon for Konoha."

"Correct. Thus, if this knowledge went public, Hokage-sama would not get the council to back the alliance without Suna handing over Naruto-san. Why? Because their pride would demand this."

"Smart kid," Jiraiya suddenly appeared in front of them, stopping them in their tracks. "If Gaara wanted Naruto to be free, sharing the fact that he's still alive with Danzo would be the first thing he could do to frustrate the negotiations and force his father's hand."

"So it's true?" Kiba gasped. "That limp asshole knew?!"

"The news came through my network, and I'm quite sure that Danzo got that particular message," the Toad Sage shrugged. "That messenger barely escaped with his life, though- an act which forced the toads to sever their ties with Konoha. At least as long as Danzo is in charge."

"Then we must reach the council before Hokage-sama can stop us," Hinata urged. "If we hurry-"

"You're already too late, girly. You're far too young if you think you can outmaneuver Danzo," Jiraiya shook his head slowly, with a sad expression on his face. "The four of you have already been branded as nukenin."

"W-what?" Kiba paled. "That… that's impossible. Right? Oi, Shino, tell me that he's talking nonsense."

Shino, however, remained completely silent. A slight hum of buzzing insects could be heard to those standing close enough to the Aburame, which was the only thing that revealed how distraught he truly was.

"What did you expect?" Jiraiya sighed. "The four of you left the nation on an unsanctioned mission. That's considered treason, and the facts were so obvious that even your parents could do nothing to avoid this sentence. Each one of you has been branded a traitor, and you three in particular are hunted. Both the Aburame and Inuzuka risk that their secrets are exposed to other villages, and the Hyuga... it never happened, not since the founding of Konoha, that a member of the main house went rogue."

"So we would perish if we get too close to our village," Shino said tersely. "Thereby keeping Naruto's existence a secret."

"Exactly as Danzo wants, for whatever reason," Jiraiya agreed. "My best guess would be that there was some kind of hidden deal between Danzo, Orochimaru, and the Kazekage. Aside from getting the seat of Hokage, however, I fail to see what Danzo gained. His interests always were with the village, and losing a jinchuriki is definitely not in the best interest of Konoha. In fact, Konoha seems be deadlocked into this uneasy alliance, in which it has gained the least."

"Bullshit, that old bastard wasn't guided by patriotism, but greed," Kiba growled.

"Kiba, calm down," Shino's voice had an edge to it that was only rarely heard. To an Aburame this was pretty much the equivalent of shouting as loudly as they could. "Jiraiya-sama, what will happen to us? If the toads broke their ties with Konoha, what is your stance towards the Ho… towards Danzo?"

"Mine?" Jiraiya now had lopsided smirk. "Danzo won't risk openly confronting me, even though he did try to assassinate me," he nodded to where his left arm had once been. "One of your clan came too close for comfort; those Rinkaichu (Parasitic Destruction Insects) are as dangerous as they were rumored to be, it nearly caught me off guard. As for you three… I have quite a lot at my hands at the moment, so if you could help me I would be most grateful."

"With what?" Hinata asked.

"Well, my agenda is currently rather full. There is a mercenary organization called Akatsuki that aims to capture all nine jinchuriki, for some unknown reason. There is Orochimaru, and whatever he is doing in Otogakure. And now that I talked with Gaara I have a few more things that require my attention."

"Suna and Naruto," Kiba stated.

"Yes. I want to free Naruto just as much as you three want, but I agree with Gaara that the situation is dangerous. It is better for us to focus on Oto first, and liberate the hostage Orochimaru holds."

"Hostage?"

"The second child of the Kazekage, Gaara's older brother, has been forced to live in one of Orochimaru's hideouts after the invasion ended. If we free Kankuro and find the proof needed to expose the shady dealings between the Kazekage and Orochimaru, we could aid Gaara's efforts without immediately risking a civil war. A civil war that would likely trigger a world war, when the other nations seek to exploit Suna's vulnerability. The only thing that's stopping from such a war to happen right now is that Kumo and Iwa hate each other too much. But if Suna or Konoha were to be seen as too weak to defend themselves, either of those villages could dispatch forces to attack us while also maintaining a strong enough defence at their own borders."

"We would undermine the Kazekage's reputation, and thus lessen the support he has within his village," Shino clarified for Kiba. "I assume Gaara is supported by a minority within his village, and therefore can't confront his father yet?"

"Exactly. Truth be told, I heard a thing or two about Gaara's change of heart, but as my sources were a bit mixed I had some reservations. I definitely did not expect him to be this supportive," Jiraiya admitted. "I wish he had approached me sooner. I've spent two years believing that Orochimaru was the one who had captured Naruto, just as he had snatched away the Uchiha. Even the toads couldn't tell me his location, as he was somehow out of their reach."

"I saw Naruto-kun," Hinata spoke up. "There were many seals covering his body, and his access to chakra was severely restricted."

Jiraiya couldn't say he was surprised. This was standard procedure when imprisoning any shinobi with a summoning contract, after all. "So are you kids willing to help us?"

"Us?"

* * *

-Z-

* * *

"I still don't know how you managed to talk me into this."

"Because it's great?" he smiled.

"Hardly."

"Okay, it's not the greatest, as fresh always beats instant, but still…"

"It is unhealthy."

"Ramen be praised!" he cried out. "What's better than a steaming cup of ramen?"

"Kenchin soup? Chestnuts?" she suggested.

"Sacrilege!"

"Idiot…"

In spite of her words, and in spite of how tired she felt, Temari smiled when she saw Naruto happily enjoying the cups of instant ramen she had found while shopping the other day. The scarred and underweight jinchuriki suddenly seemed to appear like the young boy she remembered from three years ago. Rather than the wounded soul who tried to hide his misgivings under the guise of a smile, this expression was genuine.

' _And that's because I found some imported instant ramen on the market,'_ Temari felt amused by how simple it could be to make people happy. "No matter how much you like your ramen, you should eat some vegetable too. You'll need your nutrients."

"Do I have to?" he whined childishly.

"Yes. Unless you don't want your body to regain its strength?"

He sighed, and just did as she told him to. He was no fan of vegetables, to say the least. He'd rather just enjoy his ramen without distractions, eating until he felt as if he was going to burst. Unfortunately, he knew Temari would not stop nagging until he ate what she deemed was healthy. Ever since his little comatose sleepover she had gotten even bossier than before. And the worst part was that she was right about this as well, not that he would openly admit that- he truly didn't like vegetables, no matter how healthy they were.

"So… we gotta see some old lady now?" Naruto asked while helping Temari with the dishes. His body still moved sluggishly, but at least the pain was gone now. It had taken an entire day, most of it spent asleep, to recover to the point where he could (and was allowed to) get out of bed.

"You should treat them with some respect. Chiyo-baasama and her younger brother, Ebizo-jiisama, are highly important people in Sunagakure. Even though Chiyo-baasama has retired as a member of the council, she has a lot of sway. Not in the least because her brother is the head of our council."

"So?"

"Having those people to support you can make a big difference, Naruto," Temari sighed. "Politics can make or break you, and by extension me as well."

"You want me to respect a bastard who treats you like some tool that can be sold to the highest bidder?" Naruto's blue eyes stared into her teal ones, until he relented. "Fine, whatever you want; I'll behave," he grumbled

"You'd better, or I'll whack it into you with my fan," Temari huffed. "You know, even if my father allowed me to bring you to Chiyo-baasama and get her to remove the seals that restrict you, he won't stop monitoring your every move. In fact, without those seals you'll become a bigger threat, thus any mistake you'll make will be met with swift and harsh intervention. And if you mess up, I'll be the one who gets the blame."

"…things can never ever be easy, can they?" he deadpanned, though Temari could see his previous carefree behavior disappear in that same instant.

"Just… I don't want to ruin your mood, Naruto, but be careful, okay? Gaara and I didn't go through all this effort to convince Father, only for you to get yourself thrown back into that dungeon. If that happens, everyone would suffer the consequences"

' _She's right,'_ Naruto grimaced. ' _That little stunt with the Kitsunebi was far more dangerous than I realized. I could have been imprisoned, had I failed to convince that Anbu. And if I get imprisoned again, Suna would no longer need Sakura… she'd get killed, or worse, if she no longer has a use as a hostage.'_

Silently they walked through the Village Hidden by Sand, both occupied by their concerns. Both realized that lifting the heavy restrictions on Naruto could provide great opportunities, but that those opportunities were also accompanied with grave risks. The ideal scenario would be if Naruto could hide his true skill, at least until it was too late for Rasa to fully understand the danger- that he would no longer be controlled. To truly be free to make his own decisions, it was something Naruto desired more than anything. Yet for him to be free, he also acknowledged that there were others who had to be free. Sakura, for one. But also Gaara and Temari.

One bad decision and that opportunity would be gone.

While some people bowed to Temari, most seemed to ignore them. Naruto spotted a few who looked at him with mistrust, and more often with fear, but none disturbed him. The village was quite different from Konoha, where the people were far more loose in terms of behavior. The people of Suna truly showed that they lived in a militaristic society.

There were kids playing around the corner, chasing one of their peers, the one with a ball, while cheering and laughing. Just as children should. Their parents stood nearby, smiling as parents should when watching their kids having fun. And yet… Naruto couldn't escape the idea that everyone acted differently. Perhaps it was because there were relatively fewer civilians in Sunagakure, but everything seemed much more disciplined, with far less time spent on the frivolities of life. The people spoke less, and most seemed to rather keep to themselves.

"We're here," Temari stopped in front of a building on the edge of the village, one that was resting in the shadow of the mountain ridge that surrounded Suna. "Please don't do anything strange that might-"

"I know, I know," Naruto rolled his eyes. "I'll behave. I'll be the best behaving living sacrifice they've ever seen."

"Sarcasm doesn't suit you," the blonde grumbled. The guard at the door inclined his veiled head when Temari approached, stepping aside to let the two through. Inside they moved through a hall that was attached to the living quarters of the two elders, though the hall itself led to a courtyard with a pool on the farthest end. On each side of the pool sat two hunched figures. Naruto couldn't see from this distance which one of them was male and which one was female- dressed in similar garb.

Once he approached he noticed that the one seated on the left had his head covered in wraps but was seemingly bald, even though he had long eyebrows that practically framed his face. The right one, on the other hand, had hair and wore a hat. The latter one seemed to be Chiyo.

"Gokyodai (Honored Siblings)," Temari bowed formally when she stood near the pond. "We came here to see Chiyo-baasama, in agreement with the permission given by my father, the Yondaime Kazekage."

The man on the left opened his eyes slightly, peaking at the two guests, but otherwise remained unmoved, literally. Chiyo herself didn't move a single muscle.

"Chiyo-baasama?"

"Hmm," the man on the left, Naruto suddenly recalled that he was named Ebizo, scraped his dry throat. "Sister… you've got guests," he rasped.

Chiyo remained completely still.

"Hey, I'm talking to you," Ebizo continued, now looking at his elder sister. Chiyo held her fishing rod, though Naruto could not see any fish in the small pond. "Are you dead?" Ebizo muttered.

"No waaaay! I was just pretending to be dead," Chiyo suddenly began to laugh, and cough, the moment Ebizo's shoulders had slumped ever so slightly.

"…don't be so foolish, Sister."

"Chiyo-baasama," Temari remained perfectly polite, even if Naruto could see a vein on her jaw throb. It seemed to him like this wasn't the first time the elders pulled a stunt like this. Though, if they were senile Naruto doubted that Temari would have wasted their time by going here. "We-"

"I heard you the first time," Chiyo huffed. "Please remind Rasa that I'm retired. A take a cookie when you're on your way out, and let this fragile old woman enjoy her final days in peace."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Chiyo-baasama. We need your expertise in fuinjutsu."

"Hm?" Chiyo finally looked away from the bobber of her fishing rod. The wrinkled smile stilled on her lips when she looked past Temari, her eyes fixating on Naruto. And, he had to grant her this: she was truly fast for a seventy-three year old.

Without any warning, and before he fully realized she had even moved, Naruto found himself pinned down to the ground, staring at a kunai that was approaching his throat.

"STOP!" Temari's fan interfered, blocking the intended stab, showering Naruto in sparks of the clashing metals. Exploiting the momentary distraction, Naruto tried to kick the old woman, forcing her to back off.

"What the hell are you doing, you wrinkled old hag?!" he exclaimed.

"Sister! Take a good look," Ebizo berated his elder sister while grabbing her by her shoulder. "There certainly is a resemblance, but this is the Kyuubi jinchuriki you were told about, not _him_. You know he's dead, or is your mind finally starting to fail you?"

"Huh?" her watery eyes narrowed, as if she was trying to focus her eyesight, while looking at Naruto. "No waaaay! I was just pretending to be stupid," she laughed that same raspy laugh as before, though it was with a touch of embarrassment instead of amusement this time.

"Who the hell do I resemble for you to act like that?" Naruto was not amused. At all. First he gets lectured about proper behavior, and then these supposedly important people just randomly attack him due to bad eyesight?

"Hm," Chiyo stopped her pretense of amusement, seeing both her brother and Temari giving her blank looks, as well as Naruto's increasing ire. "For a moment there I thought that the Yondaime Hokage came for my life again. My poor old heart nearly stopped due to the shock!"

"You're actually crazy, aren't you?" Naruto growled. "Do you even have any idea how insulting this is? That bastard ruined my life by cramming that obnoxious fox into my gut, taking away any chance I ever had to live a normal life, and now you're comparing me to him? Fuck that!"

"While my sister's sight isn't what it used to be, I can't blame her," Ebizo calmly walked back to the pond, aiming to get back to his fishing again. "Your face is a bit different in shape, but with that hair of yours… you're like a splitting image of Namikaze Minato. And we can know, child," he looked at Naruto. "I saw him once. Our lines were overrun by shinobi from Iwagakure, and all seemed lost… then that man showed up out of nowhere. His mere presence completely changed the battle."

"He's the only one to get a flee-on-sight order attached to his name, as far as I remember," Chiyo chimed in. "Iwa's forces were smart enough to run away. The Nidaime, on the other hand…"

"Old people can be stubborn," Ebizo said sagely. "Though, I have to admit that I underestimated him that day, or I would have given a different advice."

"You couldn't have known that that Hatake was going to show up with reinforcements."

"I should have," Ebizo sighed. The bitter losses they had suffered that day still ached, especially for Chiyo. She had lost her son and daughter-in-law, and worse: it had broken her grandson. "Hmz, you should help the boy, like Temari-san wanted you to. I'll keep the fishes occupied."

"Right, right. You two, follow me," the old woman sighed, annoyed but not refusing Temari's request this time. She led them through the building, all the way to a study that just as easily could have passed for a library. Naruto saw books and piles on scrolls, mostly on poisons and the art of puppetry, but there were many more subjects. Chiyo moved with practiced ease, straight to the book she had in mind. "Here," she said, after flipping through the pages.

What they saw made Naruto scowl and Temari gasp.

"This was before he became truly famous. I think it was Kumo that issued that first bounty, though I can't seem to recall why they wanted him dead," Chiyo scratched her chin. "He was a chunin, only considered to be a B-rank threat, though to be treated with caution because of whom his teacher was. Jiraiya of the Sannin was famous back then, even before he started publishing those horrible novels which my brother always tries to hide."

While she twitched a bit at hearing that unnecessary extra bit of information, Temari couldn't help but look at Naruto, then back to the page of the old bingo book, and finally at Naruto again. "They're almost exactly-"

"I don't want to hear it," Naruto turned away. "I don't want anything to do with that bastard."

"Naruto, you can't tell me that this is just a coincidence," Temari shook her head. "This… You were born the night the Kyuubi attacked Konoha, right? Could it be that the Yondaime Hokage didn't just pick a random baby? I mean, someone like him wouldn't just pick a random person to become the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi. Villages only seal the bijuu into someone who is related to a dignitary of that village, someone whose loyalty is without question. Like… a son of a Kage."

"I can't be that man's son. The entire village praised him, worshipped him; he was their greatest hero. If I were related to him, I would _never_ have been treated the way I was. The Sandaime wouldn't have allowed that. He wouldn't have let them… He would have… I… I was just a random bastard who was unlucky enough to be born that day. My parents either died that night or otherwise rejected me after finding out what I became, I can't be-"

"If the Yondaime Hokage had a son, Sarutobi Hiruzen would have gone to any length to keep that a secret. You being a jinchuriki already put you into a dangerous position as it was, but if it is true that you are related to that man…" Chiyo sagged down. "If it hadn't been one of our assassins, it would have been one of the other villages. You would not even have lasted a week. That man had more enemies than you know, child."

"There's no proof your wacky theory is even-"

" _ **It is true, brat,**_ " the Kyuubi interjected, his voice gleeful as he could feel the pain it caused Naruto. " _ **I should know, because I was sealed inside your mother before I ended up getting stuck in you. Ah yes, that man sacrificed his life for your sake, for the sake of Konoha, and what did Konoha do with that sacrifice? They mocked you, insulted you, and isolated you, all while you were actually the son of their great hero. Sometimes you just have to appreciate how malicious and small-minded you pathetic humans can be. And you call**_ **us** _ **demons!**_ "

"Fuck this," Naruto scowled angrily. "Fuck you, fuck Konoha, fuck everything. I refuse to be mentioned in the same breath as the asshole that is responsible for my life! And what does it even fucking matter? Are you going to throw me back in jail now?" he glared at the old woman.

"Jail? Oh, no I don't think that would be necessary," Chiyo shrugged, putting the bingo book back on its rightful spot in the dusty shelf. "I do have to say I'm surprised no one ever noticed it before. I suppose they were too occupied with you being a jinchuriki to even think about your heritage." She could have added that there was no proof to back up her suspicion, but the way Naruto's expression had changed when he had suddenly paused in the middle of his rant… he knew. The Kyuubi must have told him, she assumed.

"If Father and the council would know, I think they'd prioritize… well, they would desire you to continue your bloodline," Temari looked away, knowing full well what the council would be expecting of her in that contrast.

"Rasa would certainly want to preserve the legacy of one of Konoha's strongest shinobi. But we both know that such things should not be expected of people," Chiyo looked at Temari. The unspoken disapproval was clear to be seen: Chiyo did not like how some used the younger generation as bargaining chips. Especially with regard to arranged marriages.

"Good," Naruto muttered. He had been ready to put the Kyuubi for the dilemma of either helping him eliminate this old woman, or allow Naruto to kill himself. He was not going to let himself be used for breeding purposes. He'd rather die than go through that. "Now let's remove these wretched seals, rather than waste our time on that bastard and that ungrateful shithole where I was born."

Taken aback by Naruto's unbridled anger, Temari wondered how much more anger he hid. He almost seemed bipolar, this enraged Naruto contrasted with the happy one she had seen enjoying his ramen only a little while before.

Apparently Chiyo had some concerns on his mental state as well, as she looked at Temari first, waiting for her to nod before leading him to yet another room. The room was dusty, and was barely lit. One of its lights was blinking after Chiyo flicked a switch, and it quickly snapped out of existence shortly after. Chiyo scowled, flicked another switch, and then the room was bathing in artificial light. The sight vaguely reminded Naruto of a hospital room. In the middle of the room stood a table, on which Naruto had to take place. While he was reluctant to do so, Temari's nod made him allow Chiyo to strap him down- according to her for his own safety, as dealing with fuinjutsu was a very precise job. If he moved too much he would make Chiyo's work even harder, and the risks of him taking damage would rise along with that.

"Just lie still," Chiyo muttered while rummaging through a drawer until she finally found the magnifier she had been seeking. "And try to suppress your anger. It makes your chakra unstable."

"Strapped on a table with only my pants on, yeah… I'm _really_ comfortable," he said sarcastically.

"That's not why you are angry," Temari looked at him. She had folded his shirt, which Chiyo needed out of the way in order to examine all the seals on Naruto's upper body. She didn't need to ask him whether or not he felt betrayed, as his anger towards Konoha was clear enough to be seen. That glimpse of smoldering rage which she had seen in his eyes made her hesitate, though. It made her wonder if he would be able to accept Suna as his new home, or if he would hate them with the same passion.

Unknown to them, or at least ignored by Chiyo, a fourth person was observing the process of removing Naruto's restraints. A floating orb of gold, shaped as an eye, watched intently.

* * *

-Z-

* * *

' _That was a surprising turn of events,'_ Rasa sat behind his office, one eye closed. ' _To think that he could be related to that man… it makes his potential preposterous. Then again, in his current condition he would not be able to last very long if Akatsuki showed themselves.'_

Rasa turned his chair around so that he could watch out of the window, looking out over the village he led.

' _It will get harder and harder to maintain the balance. Doing nothing, however, would only make things far worse. Gaara and Temari disagree with my views, with those of the council, and I can't blame them. But they will soon realize that there never is a perfect solution when leading a village,'_ the Kazekage sighed and took off his hat, placing it on the desk behind him. ' _Perhaps I need to find another way to keep Gaara in check. The Uzumaki is easier to control, but Gaara… I wonder what is taking him so long. There were only three chunin which he needs to dispose of.'_

He focus returned to his 'third eye', seeing how the Kyuubi jinchuriki was writhing in pain while Chiyo removed a set of restraining seals on his arm. It had surprised Rasa that Naruto had no issues with the seal that blocked off his ability to summon. In fact, Naruto had not even wanted that seal to be removed, claiming he didn't want anything to do with the toads, and Jiraiya in specific.

It was an understandable emotion, this rage, considering how Naruto had been deceived by everyone. Jiraiya had been the sensei of Namikaze Minato, while Naruto's sensei had in turn been Minato's student- Hatake Kakashi. Those two men must have been aware of Naruto's true identity, just as the Sandaime Hokage must have known, and yet they had kept it from Naruto. They had only barely looked after him, as far as Rasa knew they could as well have been complete strangers to the boy.

' _It has been a long and laborious undertaking, but it seems we finally managed to undermine that boy's blind loyalty towards Konoha,'_ Rasa smiled. ' _Perhaps, if he proves himself to be as strong as I hope he is, he gives me some more space when it comes to keeping my position without putting Suna in harm's way. Yes… let them scheme.'_

* * *

 **Author's notes:**

* * *

And with this chapter there came many variables to take into account, as I began to uncover the political situation of Suna, as well as shedding some light on Konoha. Danzo's strategy seems strange, doesn't it? Then again, I never really took him for one who'd focus on short-term gains, and rather saw him as someone who'd play the long game.

Meanwhile, I was walking on eggshells with our main characters, slowly developing the bond between Temari and Naruto- most notably in her seeing both the darker and lighter sides of his personality- while also finding a way to undercover Naruto's heritage. Preferably without turning him into a complete ass, although it would be safe to say that Konoha is no longer on Naruto's list of favorite places to be…

This marks the last of the five chapters that I wrote in the spur of the moment. I do have some solid ideas for a sixth chapter. I'll leave it up to you guys (and girls) to decide: _**should I write that one out, or is this enough?**_

I thank **Fuyuriku** and his trusty notepad for locating the mistakes that slipped by me at first!

* * *

 **-Ziltoid-**


	6. Reckoning

_A word of warning: this chapter will be a tad dark. I did avoid writing out the most explicit parts, though…_

* * *

 **Reckoning**

* * *

"You're late."

"Perhaps," the pale man shrugged. Whether the old man in front of him was annoyed or not mattered little to him. "But please remember that I am no longer yours to command, Danzō…"

"How could I ever forget," Danzō stared icily at the leader of Otogakure. Orochimaru had been a former member of Root, once. The slippery man had long since changed allegiances, though Danzō couldn't say this still bothered him. That cooperation with Orochimaru had given him much, and their renewed cooperation had literally granted him the position of Hokage.

"So, why did you waste my time by calling me here, Danzō?"

"How much progress did you make with the Uchiha?"

"Sasuke-kun is growing splendidly. He'll make a fine body for me, soon… especially now that you have allowed me access to genetic material of the Shodaime," Orochimaru smirked. "The issue of controlling the boy, however, is something… I think it would be useful if you used your precious Mangekyō on him."

"Don't get too bold, Orochimaru…"

"Bold, me?" Orochimaru chuckled. "It is merely a matter of self-preservation, Danzō. What do you think would happen if Sasuke found out who actually gave the secret order to the massacre of his clan?"

"Is that a threat?"

"My, my, you are so defensive today, Danzō… of course I would not tell the boy about the truth. Hating Itachi with such a passion is just what makes Sasuke-kun so easy to manipulate. Of course, the matter of subjugating him in order for me to make him my next body is another matter entirely," Orochimaru tapped on his chin with one finger, acting as if he was thinking of something. "You know what, if you aid me in this, Danzō, I can provide you with the last living member of the Kaguya clan. I can even be gracious and add a few more sharingan to that lovely arm I made for you…"

"Hmm… that would make it worth my effort. But the usage of Kotoamatsukami requires a long recharge time," Danzō pondered. "I would need to ask for more."

"Come now, Danzō. Don't be too greedy. We both know that the Senju material which I implanted on your body rapidly accelerates the recharging of your precious Mangekyō. Otherwise I would not have asked you. After all, your little eye might come in handy once Akatsuki decides to move. But I doubt this prattle is why you requested for my presence at this location. Tell me, Danzō, why am I here?"

"Two weeks ago, one of Konoha's teams has disappeared. While acting without order, thus committing treason, this team pierced Suna's proximity and spied on their little dirty secret. With the Hyūga in their team, there is no doubt that they have seen the truth."

"Ah, so you fear that people will know about Naruto-kun… truly, is that all?"

"If only matters had been that simple," Danzō scowled. "It would not require much effort to make four rebelling teenagers disappear, even if the team consisted of a Hyūga heiress, the second child of the Inuzuka matriarch, and a prodigy of the Aburame clan. No, if that had been all, I would not have called for you."

"So?" Orochimaru was getting impatient.

"My sensors reported to me that Jiraiya was out in the desert, where he had a short skirmish with the Ichibi jinchūriki. They did not appear to have fought in earnest, and after that little meeting Jiraiya vanished. He vanished with three of the Konoha nin that had spied on Suna," Danzō's gravelly voice got even colder. "After the disappearance of Tsunade and her attendant I warned you, but this is only further proof."

"Hm… that would indeed make things more interesting."

"Interesting?"

"If Gaara-kun was not aiming to murder my old teammate, it means that he too is becoming a problem. It seems that our friend in Sunagakure is losing grip on the situation. And while Akatsuki has yet to make its first move, a change in leadership in Suna, as well as the possible release of Naruto-kun, would go against our plans."

"The Kyūbi jinchūriki has already been released from Suna's dungeon."

"…what?" Orochimaru's eyes narrowed, his voice venomous as he was unpleasantly surprised.

"Rasa captured one of the Konoha nin. The Haruno girl is an old friend of the jinchūriki, and it would seem that Rasa used her as leverage to get him to bend his knee."

"If that boy grows strong, he might pose a threat to Akatsuki. Especially at Gaara's side. Gaara already is enjoying a major advantage out in the desert, enough to be a difficult target by his own right," the snake sage was pensive. This would alter some of the plans.

"That alone would be a good thing. Akatsuki would lose members, and weaken, while the battle between them and the two jinchūriki would cripple Sunagakure. This is exactly why I allowed Rasa to keep the boy, rather than having to deal with Akatsuki myself. The fool even agreed to making covert payments," Danzō shook his head with a slight smile. "The timing of the jinchūriki's release is what worries me. Could it be that Rasa is aware of the threat?"

"That seems unlikely. And even if he is, Naruto-kun was imprisoned for three years. There is no way that boy can become strong enough to really become a game-changer soon. Unless my former friends of Akatsuki wait too long," Orochimaru pondered. "Perhaps I need to leak this information. Either Sasori or Kakuzu will get it through their networks."

"Provided that Jiraiya doesn't act first," Danzō warned. "Remember, if those three chūnin sided with him, he will be aware of Naruto's location as well. Worse, it would seem that he has reached some sort of agreement with Gaara, judging by the fact that the jinchūriki did not fight the man seriously."

"My old friend is becoming a rather annoying thorn in our sides… and here you were expecting him to get into conflict with Akatsuki, due to my connections with that organization and the fact that he thinks I had captured the boy at their orders. A grave miscalculation, Danzo," the pale man chided. "Now I will have to accelerate my plans for Sasuke-kun. After all, I will need his body to deal with the leader of Akatsuki."

"Jiraiya poses a threat, one we both need to be wary of, but it is not something that will stop the unification."

* * *

-Z-

* * *

It had been two weeks since Chiyo had given Temari the task of getting Naruto back to full strength. Two weeks of the harshest training Naruto had ever endured. And yet he took it with a smile. This pain was nothing compared to real torture. ' _And with what Gaara told us about that Akatsuki organization, training my ass off is the least I can do.'_

Inevitably, they would be coming for him and Gaara, this organization of S-ranked monsters. Each member individually formed a threat to a whole village, and yet they hunted jinchūriki in pairs. To catch them alive, Gaara had said, to use them for some nefarious goal, Jiraiya assumed. Even the Kyūbi seemed worried, most of all because of Naruto's current physical condition. Even with the seals removed it would take time for Naruto's chakra pathways to recover.

His body was a mess, and neither being a jinchūriki nor being an Uzumaki changed anything about that fact. At best it caused him to heal faster than was presumed possible, and the injuries he had sustained had been enough to cripple a normal person permanently, so Naruto figured he could not complain. Still, it was slightly embarrassing that he considered his current training regime as something that pushed him to his utmost limits, even when it was something any academy student would have been able to do. Unfortunately, three years of having his muscles literally wasting away did not just magically undo themselves overnight.

' _I should probably count myself lucky that Temari knows what she's doing. Not just with getting my training back up to an acceptable level, but also about nutrition and stuff,'_ he scratched the back of his head. Lying there, in the bed she and Gaara had provided, Naruto couldn't help but feel guilty.

"Oh well, it is pointless to reconsider now," he muttered against the ceiling. Night had come, so it was time… time for another 'walk'.

* * *

-Z-

* * *

Eyeing him with certain degree of suspicion, Temari wondered why her charge was looking so austere. "Naruto, you know you should not be expected too much of yourself right now."

"Does that change the situation that Akatsuki will inevitably come for me and your brother?"

"…no," she sighed. "But overextending yourself won't do you any good either. You are vulnerable as long as you have difficulties molding chakra, and can barely channel any of it through your arms."

His icy eyes stared into her teal ones, unnerving the young woman. "I'm aware."

"Then I suppose you know that you can cause permanent damage to yourself if you push yourself too far?" she asked sarcastically. "You're taking a break. Now."

"Tsk," Naruto rolled his eyes, the annoyance clear to be seen. "Yes dear," he added while mimicking the sarcastic tone of voice of Temari.

Fingers twitched, and Temari had to take a deep breath to keep herself calm. For a moment she really wanted to take out her war fan and bash his skull in. While the two had established at least a friendly bond, he still kept his distance, emotionally. He knew what the Kazekage and Suna's council expected of Temari and him, but mostly refused to talk about it.

' _Not that I'm too comfortable about it either,'_ Temari sighed. She walked away from the training ground that had been assigned to them, not bothering to look if Naruto followed her. ' _Still, making jabs like this is… low. We might not be given much of a choice, but it's still no joking matter!'_

Still, she did not lash out against him. Any other person would have gotten a royal beating, but Naruto… Naruto was different. She knew he hid his pain and his anger. She knew he tried his best, picking up the pieces of his broken life. But it all seemed to be so hopeless for him. With everything Gaara had told them, Temari knew that the situation for Naruto would only be getting worse. Konoha had betrayed him, Akatsuki would be hunting him, and the only outside source of help was someone he refused to acknowledge.

' _It's stupid, but at the same time I can't help but understand why he thinks like that,'_ Temari had to admit. ' _It was bad enough that Jiraiya was the one who taught Naruto's father, yet ignored Naruto himself. But now Gaara claimed that this man is Naruto's godfather as well. To be abandoned, left to your fate for so long, to be imprisoned for years without that supposed spymaster ever knowing, it isn't surprising that Naruto is bitter… Though, it seems that the knowledge that the Yondaime is his father infuriates him more than anything else.'_

Temari had to admit that the theory that her father, Danzō, and Orochimaru were secretly working together was enough of an explanation for Jiraiya's confusion during the past years. Together they would be able to cover up the truth behind Naruto's abduction, especially considering the chaos of Konoha being invaded at the time of the act. Still, nothing could explain Jiraiya's complete and utter absence during Naruto's childhood. Abandoned, neglected by all but a few, Naruto must have felt like the loneliest person on the planet. Much like Gaara had suffered before Naruto had stopped him.

' _How on earth did Naruto stay sane?'_

Looking back at the disgruntled boy, she wondered whether or not she really knew him. Gaara had once spoken of how Naruto had reached out to him, how Naruto had shared Gaara's idea of how existence was hellish as long as you were alone. Naruto had claimed to be saved by the people who had acknowledged his existence… ' _But for the past three years he has suffered more loneliness and more pain than ever before, without even a single person to acknowledge him.'_

Temari _wanted_ to believe that Naruto was reasonably sane. She really wished he was. But it just seemed impossible that he had gone through all that with suffering some deep mental scarring. She could not forget about the anger she had seen in his eyes, the moment he realized who his father was.

"Naruto?"

"Yes?"

"Yesterday, what was that jōnin talking about?"

"…"

"Was he someone who… you know, during the years-"

"Mukade-san worked for the Torture and Interrogation division, yes."

The clipped tone of voice almost felt like a slap. It was obvious he didn't want to talk about it, just as he didn't want to talk about a lot of things, and yet she felt the urge to push him. As gently as she could, she knew she had to help him open up a bit.

"He seemed to be happy to meet you."

"Of course," Naruto looked away. "He was a sadist. Though, he ended up as frustrated as all the others. The fool didn't have much talent for the job."

"How can you be so calm about such a thing?" she tried. She had to. She hated herself for stirring those memories in him, but doing nothing seemed like an even worse choice. ' _If I don't ask him, if I let those emotions fester in his heart… Gaara had never been able to talk about his problems, he had let it fester inside as well, and he turned into a homicidal maniac. I can't allow Naruto to fall in the same way.'_

It was only a glimpse. Only a fraction of a second, but she saw it. The almost predatory smile on his face. The baring of his teeth, and the slightly elongated fangs. It was merely a moment, and then he reverted to his usual apathy.

"I can't give Mukade-san the satisfaction of thinking he hurt me, Temari. I won't let my enemies see a thing…"

"Am I your enemy?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Naruto frowned. "Contrary to what I believed, you and Gaara are the only two in this accursed village who are not enemies of mine."

"Then why do you hide from us as well?"

A wistful smile was his only answer, and he remained silent yet again. She felt as if talking to a wall, and decided she had tried enough for now. Pushing him too far would be counterproductive. Worse, if she got too emotional herself she could also risk harming the fragile bond between herself and the man she was supposed to marry.

* * *

-Z-

* * *

" _ **The girl suspects something.**_ "

' _Of course she does. She's far more intelligent than I am, Kyūbi. So of course she is suspicious of me,'_ Naruto was perfectly calm as he walked through the nightly streets of Sunagakure. The chilly air that seeped through the darkness made the ambiance perfect for him. Even the moon mostly hid itself. ' _Everyone with a brain suspects me. How could they not? Those bastards have inflicted too much pain, so of course they expect me to retaliate.'_

" _ **And yet you exclude her and Shukaku's host from your plans.**_ _"_

' _Haven't they proven that their wish to aid me is genuine? I think there wasn't much more they could have done. Temari in particular.'_

" _ **Ah yes, your mate…**_ _"_

' _Shut the fuck up, Kyūbi,'_ Naruto was not amused when the fox brought this up.

" _ **You're the one giving her the cold shoulder, lying to her, so don't act like a hypocrite.**_ _"_

' _Do you suggest involving her in this?'_ a short silence followed. Ignoring the Kyūbi, Naruto hopped over the fence that surrounded the home of his target. He felt the surge of chakra, the silent way in which the Kyūbi showed its approval of Naruto's plans. Creating three more floating flames, the Kitsunebi, Naruto concealed his presence even more than he already had done while walking to this place.

' _Temari, Gaara, and that fool of a Kazekage, so many people are watching me,_ ' he smirked. ' _Yet none of them know about my little walks by the moonlight. It is ironic how they think I'm completely powerless, just because my body is in tatters.'_

" _ **It is my power you are boasting about, brat.**_ _"_

' _Sure it is, but that doesn't change the situation, does it? I never said that they're only underestimating me. They're all underestimating you as well. I mean, aside from Temari and Gaara, no one even seems to be aware of what you can truly do. They only respect your raw power, yet ignore the finer intricacies of your ability.'_

The Kyūbi snorted something, with a sound that was eerily similar to 'sycophant', but otherwise kept quiet. Naruto knew better than most that the Kyūbi had quite the ego, and flattery could sometimes prove to be useful. Naruto knew full well that the Kyūbi had its own agenda, but right now Naruto thought that using the fox's power took priority. Of course, the idea of punishing the wicked was quite enticing to the fox as well…

Not bothering to be sneaky, Naruto just kicked in the front door. All sounds he made were muffled by the floating orbs of Kitsunebi anyway, so it wasn't like anyone could hear him. Subtlety had, under these circumstances, become pointless. He looked around, searching for the bedroom. After walking through the hall and entering the living room, he hadn't seen a soul. Considering the hour, his target was sleeping anyway.

With a devilish smirk, Naruto opened the bedroom door. And there she was. His target. A young woman, with curling brown hair. She was snoring softly, her head resting on the shoulder of what seemed to be her boyfriend. Or perhaps another one night stand. In the days he had been observing her he had seen three different men spend the night with her.

' _Of course, with her profession, what guy would try a serious relationship with this whore?'_ Naruto glared at the woman. Looking at the four little flames that were floating around him, Naruto decided to change the game. Each flame drifted off to a corner of the bedroom, preventing any sound or sight from this room to leak outside.

Slowly he slipped his kunai out of his pocket, and stealthily he moved it toward the man's throat. His hand covered the man's mouth as the kunai plunged into the exposed flesh. Pulling the head backwards the man turned into a sickening fountain of blood, waking the woman. When she stirred, confused by the warm red liquid, she looked right into Naruto's crimson eyes.

"Hello again," he smiled, wiping the kunai clean using the bed sheets. "Long time no see…"

"Y-you… why… what do you think you are doing?!"

"Repaying you for your visits. What else could I want from a filthy whore like you?" the chuckle, his crimson eyes, the blood… the combination of it all left the kunoichi terrified. "Really, did you think I would ever forget what you did to me?" he continued. "That I would ever forgive you?"

"I did what I was ordered-"

"-to do," he finished her sentence. "Sure you did. Orders are orders, right? Unfortunately, I couldn't give a shit about that," his voice became cold. "Out of everyone who tortured me, I hate you the most."

"Why? Are you too ashamed to admit that you liked it?" the woman made a shaky attempt at taunting him.

"I wonder whether _you_ will like it… After all, this night has only just begun," Naruto's kunai ripped right through her nightgown. He looked at her naked form, lecherously. "Not even wearing any panties, huh? Oh well… with no one to hear you, I think I might as well return the favor."

"N-no… stay away from me, you monster!"

"Oh, you don't like it now?" Naruto chuckled. "Is it because you have lost control? Is it because I'm not strapped to a table this time? You know, I think you're not afraid enough. This is such a great opportunity to try out my newfound abilities. Yes… I think I must convey my message with a little added clarity."

With disgust, the woman watched as he continued to spit out three new floating orbs of fire. The three orbs converged, creating a new one. As it hovered above her, she suddenly found herself losing all control over her body. All she could do was to wait in horror, as the new orb descended and plunged itself into her bare chest- not even leaving the faintest scorch mark.

"Yako," Naruto whispered in her ear, sending shivers up her spine as he licked her ear lobe. "Now I think it is time for you to suffer… and for you to do what I commanded. She does seem to think that orders absolve a person from guilt, so it's your lucky day."

None heard her screams. Not that anyone could have rescued her at that point. The darkness in her heart had made her the perfect target for Naruto, as all her depravity was turned against her. In the afternoon of the day after, one of the woman's colleagues found her. She hadn't come to her job, and it turned out that she would never do so again.

* * *

-Z-

* * *

It was a pretty ordinary morning, all things considered. His sister had left early, dragging an exhausted-looking Naruto along, while he had silently enjoyed breakfast. Part of him wanted to go back to bed, as he had come to enjoy sleeping. Years of deprivation of sleep due to the Ichibi's influence had left its mark, and ever since he could finally enjoy this quiet state of mind, he loved to sleep. Not that Sabaku no Gaara could be considered a lazy person, though. He took more missions than any other jōnin of his village, generally performed them quicker than most thought possible, and yet found the time and energy to hone his training to the point where he was already considered to be the strongest shinobi of his village.

Stifling a yawn, Gaara walked to his room and laid down. The slight rustling of sand made him look down, seeing more of it tickling down his body. ' _Odd. I put my gourd down before… did I subconsciously create this armor? Why? When?'_ he blinked, confused by the very notion that his automatic defense had activated itself.

On the other hand, a small nap seemed very enticing as well. A nap which took him away in the blissful nothingness of sleep. Except that after some time something decided to interrupt him. Before he could think about it any further, a knock came from the door.

"Gaara-sama, Kazekage-sama requested for your presence."

"Why?"

"I was not told," the Anbu, at least Gaara assumed that it was an Anbu, as his father wouldn't send anyone else seemed hesitant. "It sounded urgent, though."

"Very well." Picking up his gourd was literally all he needed to do to get ready. In a swirling cloud of sand he disappeared, his own style of Shunshin. Even if they were to blindfold him, Gaara could find his father's office without a single hitch. The situation did seem relatively urgent, as the Anbu guarding the office immediately let him in. Still, as there was no one running around, no armed forces were gathering, and Gaara could sense no signs of battle anywhere near, he figured that this matter was not _truly_ important.

Because for a moment he had feared that Jiraiya's warnings about Akatsuki came true.

"Kazekage-sama."

"Gaara," the man said tersely. "We need to talk."

"…"

The Kazekage sighed, tired of the feud between himself and his son. "There's been a murder. An unusually brutal murder," Rasa began. He saw his son's eyes narrow, and allowed himself a small smile. "No, I do not presume that you were the perpetrator, Gaara. You crush your opponents, this was different. Malicious."

"Murder is usually malicious," Gaara droned, still indifferent. Why did his father call him here for something like a murder?

"True, but there are degrees in which the act differs," Rasa shoved the file over the desk, towards his son. "Ikari was one of our tokubetsu jōnin, one who specialized in seduction and subjugation. In short, she used her body to gain whatever information we needed, or make her targets do whatever we wanted them to do. Highly skilled in the area of genjutsu, especially."

Quickly scanning through the report, Gaara couldn't help but scowl slightly. "All this… and no one heard a thing?"

"None of the neighbors have heard or seen anything out of the ordinary. Aside from the semen samples there is little we even managed to gather, as if the murderer had never even been there."

"So this is about Naruto," Gaara stared up from the file. Now it made sense why he had been called here. "Unfortunately for you, Naruto was at my home throughout the night. I'm sure you know this. There is no evidence according to this," he nodded towards the report he had just returned on the office. "Aside from that, you didn't give him the ring for no good reason."

The ring composed of gold dust had been something Rasa had 'given' Naruto upon his release from the dungeons. While it was nigh undetectable, the small adornment did have a minute amount of chakra within it. Just enough for Rasa to keep track of Naruto's exact location.

"We will find out soon enough. Follow me," Rasa gestured, leading Gaara to one of the bigger rooms in the building. Whenever there was an unusual meeting for the Kazekage and his full council, this room was used. Contrary to regular meetings, this room served as a court. With the accused seated in the center, while the councilors were positioned in a half circle- with Rasa sitting in the middle, right in front of the accused.

That Gaara saw Naruto and Temari in the middle of that room was something that greatly annoyed him, though he did not let it show.

"Why is he here?" uncaring of the listening officials, Gaara turned to his father. It was a blatant show of disrespect, especially because the jinchūriki addressed Rasa without the proper use of titles and honorifics.

"This is a hearing, Gaara. Though I see that my men were faster than I anticipated, if Temari and the Uzumaki are already here," Rasa, like his son, remained stoic in spite of the annoyance he felt. "As you have read, there is a murder that needs to be solved."

"Huh, so I'm accused of murder?" Naruto looked at the Kazekage, as indifferent as one could be. "I was wondering when you'd start looking for avenues to back out of this deal."

"Don't get too cocky, boy," one of the councilors, an older and retired shinobi, rasped. It was over a decade since the man had lost an arm, and had been chosen to serve his village in another way. Overseeing the academy, however, had given the man an inclination of treating everyone like they were among the children whom he taught.

"If being innocent equates to arrogance in this place, then yes: I'm very cocky," Naruto rolled his eyes. "Why was my training interrupted?"

"The matter of murder," Rasa took lead. "To be more specific, this case revolves around the rape, torture, and murder of a tokubetsu jōnin who also completed missions for our interrogation department. We have reason to believe you have a grudge against her."

"I have a grudge against everyone in this room," Naruto chuckled darkly. "Though I should exclude Temari-chan and Gaara from that, considering how they aren't responsible for my _pleasant_ stay in this village. Regardless, I don't see myself slitting your throats, so I suppose a simple grudge doesn't imply I'm going to murder everyone I see…"

"Don't mock us," the elder councilor slammed his only fist on the table. "Or we might as well punish you for contempt as well!"

"Stating facts is not contempt. Calling you a senile old geezer, on the other hand…"

"Enough!" Rasa bellowed, before the old man could come with a retort. "You were brought here to answer questions, Uzumaki Naruto. It would be in your best interest, as well as in the interest of certain others, to answer those questions as completely and honestly as you can. Firstly, a simple question: where were you last night?"

"In bed, sleeping. I did wake a few times, as I seem to have some issues when it comes to sleeping peacefully. Three years of torture apparently have a certain effect on people's dreams," Naruto said offhandedly, ignoring the not-so-subtle threat that Rasa had just uttered. "Aside from that, I went to the bathroom once. I think that both Gaara and Temari-chan can testify for most of that. Though, she probably didn't hear me going to the bathroom. Judging by how she snored, at least."

The boy's stone-faced façade broke into a smirk when he noticed how her eyebrows twitched. While Gaara doubted that his fellow jinchūriki intended to embarrass Temari, he did know that it was for the best if Naruto showed the people in this room that there was a certain development between them. Gaara figured that Naruto considered that saying these things in this situation was the best way to show these decrepit old fools that her 'mission' was going well. Gaara couldn't say he liked it, but silently agreed with Naruto: if the council bought it, and thought that there was something growing between Naruto and Temari, it would at least stop them from bothering her with other marriage proposals.

"Enough with this drivel," one of the elders growled. "Answer the question!"

"I just did," Naruto sighed. "But I suppose I will repeat myself: I did not murder anyone. So, unless you fabricated some proof to claim otherwise, I do not see why I had to be dragged here."

"He raises a valid point," Gaara decided to speak up before things could escalate. Naruto's flippant attitude didn't seem to be appreciated by the people gathered in this room. "Why are we here, if there is no proof? Considering her occupation, this kunoichi must have had more enemies."

"Uzumaki Naruto, do you know a jōnin by the name of Mukade?" Rasa ignored his son, and instead continued as he had planned. Neither the Kazekage nor Gaara noticed how one of the councilmembers flinched when the name Mukade was dropped.

Naruto, on the other hand, shortly showed them a predatory smile. He had certainly noticed the slip-up. "Oh yes, how could I forget? Would you forget the people who hurt you, Kazekage?" Naruto's voice had an odd tremor, and Gaara wondered whether it was anxiety or glee what his fellow was suppressing. "Let me guess, if that bastard is brought up, I suppose the murder of which I am accused… it is that whore, isn't it?"

"Have you met Mukade-san, after your release?" Rasa stayed calm, in spite of his growing annoyance. Gaara knew that his father would not allow himself to be goaded by Naruto like this. The man loved to keep in control of the situation, any situation, and would never allow another player to take the initiative away.

"I met him," Naruto nodded, then turning to Temari.

"We met Mukade-san the other day, in the village, when we came back from the training grounds," Temari confirmed. "Why?"

"Did Naruto do anything during that meeting? Was there anything unusual?"

"Other than the fact that he obviously recalled some bad memories?" Temari frowned, wondering what her father was trying to do. "Nothing unusual happened. Again: why?"

Rather than answering, Rasa gestured towards the Anbu standing at the door. The left guard nodded and left, only to return shortly after, with a chained and ragged-looking man limping after him. There were signs of interrogation, and Gaara saw Naruto chuckle at that. In a sense it would indeed be amusing, from Naruto's point of view, to see your former interrogator being at the receiving end of such harsh treatment.

"You!" he shouted, pointing at Naruto.

"Mukade, can you repeat you accusations?"

"Ah… yes, Kazekage-sama… I… he… that demon," the brown-haired jōnin nodded towards Naruto. "He did something to me."

"Something," Naruto rolled his eyes. "Wow, I did _something_. Now what could that possibly be? You don't even know."

"You know damn well what you did!" Mukade shouted, his eyes wild and his entire demeanor completely unhinged. "I… I did something… I forgot, it's all blank! But you, you did something to me, I know it's you!"

"What is this?" Gaara sighed, turning to his father. "Are we here because of the ravings of a broken-down jōnin, or is there any proof?"

"He did it! Not me. Not me. Never me. I… not willingly," Mukade rambled. "I just woke up… woke up in blood… bile… I didn't do it, you have to believe me! I would never do such things!"

"Sure, blame the jinchūriki…" Naruto shook his head, wearily. "Was I really brought here because this raving lunatic accused me of something he can't even specify?"

"We found traces of chakra, indicating that some jutsu was cast over him." Whether Rasa was disappointed by Mukade's apparent insanity was something Gaara could not see. He did, however, notice Rasa's reluctance to bring up this fact.

"Is there any proof that this is linked to Naruto? And that does not even cover the fact that Naruto does not seem to be able to cast any jutsu, considering the state of the tenketsu in his arms."

"It would seem that one jinchūriki is covering for the other," one of the councilmen, Yura, remarked. "Though, he has a point. The file did not state the findings of the chakra analysis, even if it mentioned that trace amounts were indeed found. If this chakra belonged to the Kyūbi jinchūriki, it would either be his chakra or that of the fox itself. However, both are known to the analysts. Is there any proof against him?"

"During the interrogations, Mukade mentioned that Naruto was the last person he had seen, last night. However, when asked what Naruto did, he failed to provide an answer," Rasa revealed. "As you know, various members of the council were adamant that he would be heard, either to remove or to confirm the suspicions that were raised."

"Well, I guess that means we can go back to training," Naruto turned to Temari. "Though considering the time, I guess we should first get something to eat."

While the Kazekage did nothing to halt Naruto and Temari, Gaara couldn't escape the thought that something about this charade had been wrong. There was no proof, aside from the claims of a man who seemingly had lost mind, but that usually did not stop the council from acting on their fears. And Naruto had basically taunted them, ridiculing them throughout the hearing. Was it because Yura, a rather influential member of the council, had shifted the conversation away from Naruto? While he was correct in stating that there was no evidence pointing at Naruto's involvement, and that clearing him of all charges was the only right thing to do, this whole situation just seemed unusual to Gaara.

* * *

-Z-

* * *

"I cut it in half."

"In half?"

"Yeah…" he held up the piece of paper. "So what the heck was the purpose of this thing, if me doing what you told me to do caused me to wreck it? Did I screw up?"

"No," she grinned. "I'm merely surprised."

"You… seem happy?" Naruto frowned. "I'm lost. What did I just do to make you smile as if you just heard that your pet weasel got kids?"

"There are five basic natures, five elemental chakra natures that a shinobi can have. Excluding kekkei genkai, of course. This paper is something that's used to check what sort of affinity a person has. That is, the natural inclination towards one of those elements with which one is born. Yours just so happens to be wind. Because wind-natured chakra cuts the paper, whereas the other four elements have different effects," Temari kept her wide smile throughout the lecture. "And I just happen to be one of Suna's foremost specialists on futon jutsu."

While he knew her as a confident young woman, Naruto couldn't say he had seen Temari act arrogantly or boast idly, so if she made this claim he figured she spoke the truth. ' _Her being the Kazekage's daughter must have meant she got the best training available from the moment she could walk,'_ he smiled. "Color me impressed. I knew you were a badass, but I can't say I was expecting you to be the best of the entire village."

Her smile only got brighter. "Well, Baki-sensei might be a bit better when it comes to close-range combat, but when it comes to the usage of war fans I'm the best."

"Such modesty," Naruto chuckled. "Okay, what now? Considering the limited amount of chakra I can channel through my arms, I take it that you want to focus on chakra control first?"

"Yes, I think…" Temari paused when four visitors revealed themselves on their training ground. "What are you four doing here?" she scowled.

Being surrounded by a squad of Anbu wasn't something she expected to happen. Not twice on one day. They had just enjoyed a quiet meal after the unexpected hearing, continued Naruto's training, and now there were Anbu surrounding them _again_? Part of her just wanted to take out her war fan and blast them all to kingdom come.

"Apprehending a criminal."

"Criminal?" Naruto looked calmly, too calmly if Temari was honest with herself. In contrast to his icy demeanor, she struggled to keep herself from seething with anger. "What is my crime this time? That I breathe? That my heart has the audacity to pump blood through my veins?"

"You know well enough what you did last night, you demon!" another Anbu shouted angrily. "Don't even try to deny it."

"Those accusations are false," Temari retorted, moving next to Naruto. "Explain yourselves."

"We don't need to," the calmer Anbu who had spoken first said, before the angry one could make the situation worse. "We were given orders to apprehend Uzumaki Naruto, the suspected murderer of one of our own."

"Tsk, that's a blatant lie, and you know it," Naruto sounded bored. "I'm almost insulted. How stupid do you think I am? The idiots in charge of your village just concluded that there was no evidence against me. I got cleared. So if you could just kindly _fuck off_ …"

"No can do," the calm Anbu raised his arm, causing the other three to draw their respective weapons. "We have orders, and we will execute them. Resisting arrest will be seen as a transgression. And considering your status, this can be answered with lethal force."

' _Lethal force? In the presence of the Kazekage's daughter? Ah… of course, it must be him, who ordered this,'_ Naruto's momentary confusion rapidly turned into annoyance. That explained the absence of both the eye of gold dust and the eye of sand. Both Rasa and Gaara were distracted by someone. It was definitely not a coincidence. "How careless," he couldn't help but remark. But who would pay for this carelessness? ' _It's not like I can use my actual abilities in front of Temari. Or else I'd have to order her to forget. And that would go against the promise I made to her. How utterly annoying.'_

"If you comply, it would not be careless."

"Fine," Naruto sighed. "Have it your way."

"No."

"Temari…"

"This isn't right, Naruto, and you know it. Don't try to hide it, I know you're aware," she huffed. "And I'm not going to-"

Red liquid spattered out, while most of the color was drained from his face. Of all the things he had expected to happen, he never anticipated them to act this rashly. Seeing a blade pierced through her chest…

"Run," Temari gasped, coughing out blood as she spoke. "R-run…"

He saw her falling to her knees, trying to support herself with her war fan, but the Anbu were merciless. Two appeared in front of her, one kicking her in the stomach, while the other snatched away her weapon. The impact of the kick, along with the grievous injury in her chest, caused her to black out. She was unconscious before her head hit the sand.

"Kill him," the calmer, and apparently leader, of the four Anbu ordered. Naruto stared at Temari, her blood starting to spread through the sand of the training ground.

"You… you fucking imbeciles…" Naruto whispered hoarsely. "You just removed the sole reason why I would allow you to walk out of this with your minds intact…"

* * *

 **Author's notes:**

* * *

Hm, I remember telling you that I had ideas for a sixth chapter, but… I had to split this into two. With this cliffhanger, though I can't tell whether I should consider you lucky or unlucky regarding the extra chapter. I had to make the cut _somewhere_ , and this spot just happened to be the best. (I know; I'm a troll…)

Anyway, you guys didn't expect Naruto to let his torturers live happily ever after after what they did to him, did you? No… I'm afraid the Naruto of Devil's Fire is not a very forgiving person. The 'devil' part of the title wasn't chosen randomly. You'll see that in the next chapter. Whenever I may finish it.

* * *

 **-Ziltoid-**


End file.
